XN000022-1987-01-21 — Page 4

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MR BRIDGE NOTED THAT AFTER THE REPORT NO. 2 WAS PUBLISHED ENTHUSIASTIC PUBLIC DEBATE FOLLOWED. WIDE MEDIA COVERAGE WAS GIVEN TO NEARLY ALL THE REPORT'S PROPOSALS AND THIS COVERAGE WAS CAREFULLY MONITORED. STAFF OF THE COMMISSION PROVIDED BRIEFS GAVE INTERVIEWS AND ATTENDED SEMINARS ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE REPORT.

+ IN ADDITION, NEARLY 100 FORMAL WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS WERE RECEIVED. THESE CAME FROM SCHOOL COUNCILS, DISTRICT BOARDS, INSTITUTIONS OF TERTIARY EDUCATION, PROMINENT MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AND ACADEMICS AS WELL AS ORDINARY CITIZENS, HE SAID.

NOTING THAT MOST OF THE PROPOSALS ON PRE-PRIMARY SERVICES RECEIVED BROAD PUBLIC SUPPORT, MR BRIDGE SAID SOME QUESTIONS WERE RAISED ABOUT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROPOSED IMPROVED FREE ASSISTANCE SCHEME AND THERE HAD BEEN SUGGESTIONS THAT GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY SHOULD BE DIRECTED TOWARDS KINDERGARTEN OPERATORS AND TEACHERS RATHER THAN PARENTS.

IT HAD ALSO BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE PROPOSED PROGRAMME OF TEACHER PREPARATION SHOULD BE ACCELERATED, HE ADDED.

ON THE COMMISSION'S PHILOSOPHY TOWARDS PRE-PRIMARY SERVICES, MR BRIDGE SAID IT HAD TAKEN THE VIEW THAT, ALTHOUGH IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO ASSERT DOGMATICALLY THAT PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION WAS ESSENTIAL, IT WAS SO WIDESPREAD AND SO CLEARLY PRECEIVED AS BENEFICIAL THAT NO CHILD SHOULD BE DENIED ACCESS TO SUCH EDUCATION.

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HE SAID HE FELT THAT THE COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS IF IMPLEMENTED, WOULD DO MUCH TO IMPROVE THE STANDARD OF KINDERGARTEN EDUCATION AND WOULD LEAD TO THE UNIFICATION OF PRE-PRIMARY SERVICES WHICH SO MANY EDUCATORS HAD ADVOCATED.

+AND THE COMMISSION HAS LEFT THE DOOR OPEN TO FUTURE REFINEMENTS OF THE SYSTEM BY RECOMMENDING LONG-TERM RESEARCH INTO THE EFFECT OF PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION IN HONG KONG,+ MR BRIDGE ADDED.

POINTING OUT THAT THE MAJORITY OF COMMENTS ON TEACHER PREPARATION HAD BEEN FAVOURABLE, MR BRIDGE SAID MOST CRITICISM RELATED TO WHETHER THE COMMISSION HAD GONE FAR ENOUGH, WHETHER THE VARIOUS TRAINING PROGRAMMES COULD BE EXPANDED OR WHETHER MORE PRE-SERVICE TRAINING COULD BE OFFERED.

+WE MUST, OF COURSE, BE REALISTIC AND REMEMBER THAT EDUCATION IS EXPENSIVE AND PRIORITIES HAVE TO BE CAREFULLY BALANCED, + HE SAID.

/REFERRING TO