XN000022-1985-11-28 — Page 5

3

-

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1985

HE RECALLED THAT A SIMILAR QUESTION HAD BEEN RAISED BY DR HO KAM-FAI AND THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER HAD REPLIED THAT IT WOULD BE GIVEN DUE REGARD BY THE EDUCATION COMMISSION.

+1 CALL ON THE GOVERNMENT TO ALSO LOOK AT THE TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOL GRADUATES WHEN THE REVIEW IS UNDERTAKEN, MR CHAN SAID.

EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT THE CHANCES OF PREVOCATIONAL STUDENTS OBTAINING ADMISSION TO POST-SECONDARY TECHNICAL INSTITUTIONS, HE SAID THE PROBLEM WOULD AFFECT MORE AND MORE GRADUATES EACH YEAR WITH GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO EXPAND PREVOCATIONAL EDUCATION.

HE FURTHER POINTED OUT THAT FACED WITH KEEN COMPETITION FROM FORM 6 AND 7 STUDENTS OF GRAMMAR SCHOOLS FOR PLACES IN THE POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTES, THE CHANCE OF PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOL GRADUATES TO GET IN WAS INDEED VERY SL IM.

MR CHAN SAID HE CONSIDERED THIS TO BE EXTREMELY UNFAIR TO GRADUATES OF PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS.

+ IN TERMS OF APTITUDE, PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE GEARED TO A CAREER IN THE TECHNICAL FIELD RIGHT FROM THE START,+ HE SAID.

HE SAID IT WAS NOT UNREASONABLE TO GIVE PREFERENCE TO PRE- VOCATIONAL SCHOOL GRADUATES WHO HAD SATISFIED THE ADMISSION CRITERIA.

+AFTER ALL, THE POLYTECHNICS AND THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES ARE THE ONLY AVENUES OF POST-FORM 5 EDUCATION AVAILABLE TO THEM IN HONG KONG.

+ IT IS TO SOCIETY'S BENEFIT TO INVEST ON FURTHER EDUCATION FOR PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOL GRADUATES SO THAT THEY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION WHICH IS SO VITAL TO OUR ECONOMY,+ MR CHAN SAID.

TURNING TO THE PROBLEM OF URBAN SQUATTERS, HE SAID THE LONG-TERM SOLUTION WAS NON-DEVELOPMENT CLEARANCE.

HE SAID THE EARLIER WE COULD MAKE A START ON THE RESTRUCTURED SQUATTER CLEARANCE PROGRAMME, THE SOONER WOULD THE PROBLEM OF URBAN SQUATTERS BE ELIMINATED.

AS HALF OF THE SQUATTER AREAS IN EASTERN AND KWUN TONG DISTRICTS WERE NOT COVERED BY THE SQUATTER AREA IMPROVEMENT SCHEME, HE SAID PROBLEMS WERE STILL AFFECTING THE LIVELIHOOD OF THE RESIDENTS,

HE IDENTIFIED THREE PROBLEMS WHICH REQUIRED URGENT ACTION BY THE GOVERNMENT ILLEGAL TAPPING OF WATER AND ELECTRICITY, THE INCREASING NUMBER OF HUTS LEFT VACANT BY OCCUPANTS AFTER NOVING INTO PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES AND THE UNCERTAINTY AS TO WHEN THE CLEARANCE WOULD TAKE PLACE.

/4