XN000022-1985-09-17 — Page 4

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1985

SPEAKING ON THE RATIONALE FOR ORGANISING SUCH AN EVENT, MR LEE SAID THAT THE CITIZENS OF HONG KONG, ESPECIALLY YOUTH, SHOULD PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR A HIGHLY AUTONOMOUS ADMINISTRATION AFTER 1997.

HE POINTED OUT THAT CIVIC EDUCATION WAS AN URGENT TASK THAT COULD BE DONE THROUGH THREE CHANNELS EDUCATION IN SCHOOL, THE MASS MEDIA AND ACTUAL PARTICIPATION.

HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD MADE THE FIRST STEP IN PROMOTING CIVIC EDUCATION BY PUBLISHING THE +GUIDELINES ON CIVIC EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS+ THIS AUGUST, BUT SAID HE WAS AFRAID THAT WHAT ONE LEARNT FROM SCHOOL MIGHT BE TOO THEORETICAL.

CARRYING OUT CIVIC EDUCATION THROUGH THE MASS MEDIA WAS NO DOUBT AN EFFECTIVE WAY OF CONVEYING MESSAGES IN VIEW OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES ON THE MARKET AND THE EVER- INCREASING CONCERN OF THE TELEVISION AND RADIO STATIONS ON CURRENT ISSUES, HE SAID.

+BUT CITIZENS ARE ONLY PASSIVE RECIPIENTS WHEN RECEIVING MESSAGES BY READING NEWSPAPERS OR WATCHING TELEVISION.

+ONLY THROUGH ACTUAL PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL ACTIVITIES CAN WE UTILISE WHAT WE HAVE LEARNT FROM SCHOOLS AND THE MASS MEDIA, AND THUS FULLY UNDERSTAND THE REAL MEANING OF CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY,+ HE ADDED.

$1M SUBSIDY FOR REGIONAL SPORTS PLANNED *****

THE RECREATION AND CULTURE SELECT COMMITTEE OF THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL TODAY ENDORSED A PROPOSED POLICY OF SUBSIDISING REGIONAL SPORTS ACTIVITIES ORGANISED BY SPORTS ASSOCIATIONS AND ORGANISATIONS IN THE NON-URBAN AREA AS FROM NEXT APRIL.

THE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE COMPETITIONS, DISPLAYS, DEMONSTRATIONS AND TRAINING PROGRAMMES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND SPORTS OFFICIALS AS WELL AS EVENTS INVOLVING OVERSEAS TEAMS.

THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (LEISURE SERVICES) OF THE REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, MR DAVID WEEKS TOLD THE FIRST MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE THAT FUNDS WERE PROVIDED FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO ORGANISE RECREATION AND SPORTS PROGRAMMES AT DISTRICT LEVEL.

HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO FUNDS AVAILABLE IN THE RSD TO SUBSIDISE OR SPONSOR RÉGIONAL SPORTS ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS RECREATION AND SPORTS FACILITIES ORGANISED ON A REGIONAL BASIS, AND SPORTS ACTIVITIES INVOLVING MORE THAN ONE DISTRICT.

/MR WEEKS