XN000022-1985-07-12 — Page 19

FRIDAY, JULY 12, 1985

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+ IF THE RESEARCH FINDINGS DO SO INDICATE, THEN INDIVIDUAL SECONDARY SCHOOL AUTHORITIES WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO ADOPT CHINESE AS THE MEDIUM OF TEACHING AND THOSE SCHOOLS WHICH USE CHINESE AS THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION WILL BE GIVEN ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO STRENGTHEN THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH TO AVERT ANY SUBSEQUENTIAL DROP. IN THE STANDARD OF ENGLISH DUE TO REDUCED EXPOSURE.

+THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY THE PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL ENGLISH TEACHERS IN THE SCHOOLS AND OTHER RESOURCES, MR WONG SAID.

+ACCORDINGLY TEACHER PREPARATION FOR NEW AND SERVING TEACHERS WILL NEED TO BE MODIFIED TO PREPARE FOR A WIDER USE OF CHINESE IN THE CLASSROOM.

+THIS WILL MEAN A STRENGTHENING OF COLLEGE STUDENTS' PROFICIENCY IN CHINESE AND THE GREATER USE OF CHINESE AS THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN THE COLLEGES. WHILE AT THE SAME TIME ENSURING THAT COLLEGE GRADUATES ARE EQUALLY COMPETENT IN BOTH ENGLISH AND CHINESE,

+I UNDERSTAND THAT STEPS IN THIS DIRECTION ARE ALREADY BEING TAKEN WITHIN THE COLLEGES,+ MR WONG SAID.

ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF BUILDING A FURTHER COLLEGE OF EDUCATION BY THE EDUCATION COMMISSION, MR WONG SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD ENDORSED THE PROPOSAL.

+THIS WILL GIVE THE COLLEGES MUCH BREATHING SPACE AND ENABLE THEM TO CATER FOR FURTHER PROJECTED EXPANSION WITHOUT HAVING TO RELY HEAVILY ON LEASED AND BORROWED ACCOMMODATION AS THEY ARE DOING NOW,+ SAID MR WONG.

IT WILL ALSO ENABLE THE TECHNICAL TEACHERS' COLLEGE TO OCCUPY ACCOMMODATION SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR ITS USE AND ULTIMATELY ALLOW FOR THE SEPARATION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMMES.

+IN OTHER WORDS, THE FOURTH COLLEGE WILL FACILITATE QUALITATIVE ADVANCES IN TEACHER ÉDUCATION AND ALSO ALLOW FOR THE EXPANSION OF IN-BERVICE TRAINING AND REFRESHER COURSES FOR TEACHERS,+ HE SAID.

MRS WONG LATER PRESENTED CERTIFICATES AND PRIZES TO THE 953 GRADUATES WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE IR TWO-YEAR AND THREE-YEAR FULL-TIME PRE-SERVICE TRAINING AT THE COLLEGES.

EARLIER, THE PRINCIPAL OF NORTHCOTE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, MR HO SIU-LUN, SAID STUDENT ENROLMENT IN THE THREE COLLEGES LAST OCTOBER REACHED A RECORD 2 481 FULL-TIME STUDENTS WHEN HE PRESENTED THE REPORT ON BEHALF OF THE PRINCIPALS OF THE COLLEGES.

+COMPARED WITH 2 255 AT THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1983, THIS REPRESENTED AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 10 PER CENT, MR HO SAID.

TAKING THE CHAIR AT THE CEREMONY WAS THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR MICHAEL LEUNG.

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