XN000022-1986-03-27 — Page 9

THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1986

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INDEPENDENT COLLEGES OF EDUCATION ADVOCATED

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THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE IN MAKING PLANS FOR COLLEGES OF EDUCATION, WHICH PROVIDE TRAINING COURSES FOR TEACHERS, TO BECOME INDEPENDENT ORGANISATIONS HAVING A HIGH ACADEMIC STATUS.

THIS WAS ADVOCATED BY DR THE HON DANIEL TSE DURING THE ANNUAL BUDGET DEBATE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (THURSDAY).

DR TSE SAID: THIS VIEW MIGHT HOWEVER BE REGARDED AS TOO DRASTIC, BUT AS A COMPROMISE, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IS PREPARING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW COLLEGE OF EDUCATION FOR TRAINING TECHNICAL SCHOOL TEACHERS.

+1 SUGGEST, AS AN EXPERIMENT, THAT THE PROPOSED NEW

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION SHOULD BE INTEGRATED INTO THE CITY POLYTECHNIC, TO SEE IF WE COULD DEVELOP SOME NEW TALENTS MORE SUITABLE TO THE PREVAILING DIVERSIFIED AND INDEPENDENT EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT.+

HE ADDED THAT THE IDEA HAD ALREADY RECEIVED THE PERSONAL APPROVAL OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE CITY POLYTECHNIC, FROM AN EDUCATIONAL POINT OF VIEW,

+ SHOULD THE INTEGRATION BRING ABOUT SOME SAVINGS IN RESOURCES, THIS WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL GAIN, HE SAID.

DR TSE SAID THAT THE QUALIFICATION OF TEACHERS WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION AS A WHOLE AND IT WAS AN AREA THAT REQUIRED SPECIAL ATTENTION.

THE PRESENT ARRANGEMENT THAT TEACHERS WERE PROVIDED BY COLLEGES OF EDUCATION ADMINISTERED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAD POSSIBLY BEEN ACCEPTED IN THE PAST.

HOWEVER, HE NOTED THAT OWING TO GROWING NEEDS AND PROGRESS IN EDUCATION, BRITAIN HA ABANDONED THE POLICY OF HAVING ALL TEACHERS TRAINED DIRECTL, BY THE GOVERNMENT AND HAD INTEGRATED PROGRESSIVELY THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION INTO POLYTECHNICS, UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS SO THAT TEACHER TRAINING BECAME PART OF THE INDEPENDENT SYSTEM OF PUBLIC TERTIARY EDUCATION.

THIS ARRANGEMENT