XN000022-1985-11-22 — Page 11

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1985

10

BROAD AND BALANCED EDUCATION STRESSED

****

CHILDREN ARE ALLOCATED TO SCHOOLS ON THE BASIS OF PARENTAL CHOICE AND INDIVIDUAL ATTAINMENT, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR MICHAEL LEUNG, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).

CLARIFYING A SUGGESTION THAT GOVERNMENT WAS DIRECTING THE LESS ABLE AND MOST TROUBLESOME CHILDREN TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS, MR LEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT DIRECT CHILDREN IN THIS WAY+.

MR LEUNG WAS SPEAKING AT THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPEECH DAY OF DELIA MEMORIAL SCHOOL.

ON THE SETTING UP OF A SYSTEM WHEREBY PARENTS WERE ENTIRELY FREE TO SEND CHILDREN TO WHATEVER PRIVATE SCHOOL THEY WISHED WITH GOVERNMENT MEETING THE FEES, MR LEUNG SAID THIS METHOD OF PROVIDING PLACES HAD BEEN FULLY CONSIDERED WITHIN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

+BUT THE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS IT WOULD RAISE ARE THOUGHT TO HEAVILY OUTWEIGH ANY ADVANTAGES IT MIGHT HAVE, HE SAID.

+FOR ONE THING, IT WOULD INEVITABLY LEAD TO HIGHLY UNDESIRABLE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS AND MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS WHICH WOULD ONLY BE HARMFUL TO ALL CONCERNED, IN PARTICULAR THE CHILDREN,+ HE ADDED.

COMMENTING ON THE PROBLEMS OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS, MR LEUNG SAID THEY WERE PROBLEMS WHICH HAD ARISEN AS A RESULT OF THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS OR SO, FROM PARTIAL TO UNIVERSAL PROVISION OF A BASIC COURSE OF EDUCATION.

+WE ARE STILL IN THE MIDST OF THAT DEVELOPMENT IN THAT HAVING SECURED THE NECESSARY QUANTITY OF PROVISION WE ARE NOW CONCENTRATING ON ACHIEVING THE REQUIRED QUALITY OF CONTENT IN WHAT WE ARE PROVIDING, HE SAID.

TURNING TO GOVERNMENT'S CURRENT POLICY, MR LEUNG SAID THE WHOLE THRUST WAS TO ENSURE THE PROVISION OF A BROAD AND BALANCED EDUCATION FOR ALL CHILDREN IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM WITH EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL.

+THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE CREATION OF A COMPLETELY UNIFORM SYSTEM OF SCHOOLS ALL EXACTLY THE SAME.

+WHAT IT DOES MEAN IS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SYSTEM IN WHICH CERTAIN MINIMUM STANDARDS ARE SECURED TO PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION ON WHICH DIVERSITY CAN FLOURISH, AND WILL BE ENCOURAGED TO FLOURISH, + HE ADDED.

+ IT WAS THE GOVERNMENT'S DECLARED POLICY, REVIEWED AND REVISED RECENTLY IN THE LIGHT OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE REPORT NO. 1 OF THE EDUCATION COMMISSION, TO ACHIEVE THIS SOUND SCHOOL SYSTEM BY BUILDING FULLY AIDED SCHOOLS, BUT MAKING FULL USE OF EXISTING, ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES SUCH AS PLACES AVAILABLE IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS ABLE TO OFFER THE REQUIRED QUALITY EDUCATION, HE SAID.

/+SUCH SCHOOLS