XN000022-1986-10-24 — Page 2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1986

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NEW METHOD OF ALLOCATING F4 PLACES PROPOSED

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SUBSIDISED FORM 4 PLACES WILL BE ALLOCATED UNDER A NEW

METHOD WHICH DOES NOT REQUIRE A PUBLIC SCALING TEST IF A REVISED PROPOSAL FOR IMPROVING THE OPERATION OF JSEA IS ACCEPTED FOR IMPLEMENTATION.

KEY FEATURES OF THE REVISED PROPOSAL ARE:

* FROM 1987, ALL SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN THE JSE A

WILL BE ABLE TO SELECT A QUOTA OF THEIR OWN FORM 3 STUDENTS FOR PROMOTION TO FORM 4:

*

*

THE QUOTA WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE SCHOOLS' PAST PERFORMANCE IN THE JSEA;

ALL STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE JSEA WILL BE EXEMPTED FROM THE CURRENT PUBLIC SCALING TEST, THUS ELIMINATING THE POSSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECTS ARISING FROM THE PREPARATION FOR THE TEST, AND

* CENTRAL ALLOCATION WILL APPLY ONLY TO THOSE

STUDENTS WHO ARE UNABLE TO PROGRESS TO FORM 4 IN THEIR OWN SCHOOL.

AN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THE REVISED PROPOSAL WAS DRAWN UP AFTER THE DEPARTMENT HAD TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT VIEWS EXPRESSED ON A REPORT PUBLISHED LAST APRIL BY A WORKING PARTY APPOINTED BY THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION TO REVIEW THE JSEA BEFORE IT IS PHASED OUT IN 1991.

ON THE ADVICE OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, DETAILS OF THE REVISED PROPOSAL ARE NOW PUBLISHED IN A PAPER FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION TILL THE END OF DECEMBER.

THE OUTLINE OF THE REVISED PROPOSAL IS AS FOLLOWS:

TOWARDS APRIL EACH YEAR, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WILL INFORM SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN THE JSEA OF THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT THEY CAN SELECT FOR PROMOTION TO FORM 4. THIS NUMBER OR ELIGIBILITY RATE IS EQUIVALENT TO THE AVERAGE PERCENTAGE OF THEIR FORM 3 STUDENTS GIVEN FORM 4 PLACES IN THE JSEA SYSTEM IN THE PREVIOUS THREE YEARS. FOR NEW SCHOOLS. THE AVERAGE RATE ATTAINED BY THOSE SCHOOLS WHICH JOINED THE JSEA FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE PREVIOUS THREE YEARS WILL BE TAKEN AS THEIR ELIGIBILITY RATE.

/TOWARDS THE