XN000022-1987-01-21 — Page 6

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1987

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EARLY IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS URGED

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MANY OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE EDUCATION COMMISSION REPORT NO. 2 ARE READY FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, THE HON S.L. CHEN SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

LEADING THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON THE REPORT AS CONVENER OF A LEGCO AD HOC GROUP THAT STUDIES THE MATTER, MR CHEN SAID THIS WAS THE COMMON VIEW SHARED BY MEMBERS OF THE GROUP ALTHOUGH THEY AGREED THAT THERE WERE CERTAIN AREAS REQUIRING FURTHER DELIBERATION.

MEMBERS GENERALLY SUPPORTED THE PRINCIPLES BEHIND THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY THE EDUCATION COMMISSION WITH REGARD TO MOST OF THE SUBJECTS COVERED BY THE REPORT, SUCH AS PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION, OPEN EDUCATION, LANGUAGE IN EDUCATION AND THE FINANCING OF EDUCATION.

MR CHEN REPORTED THAT THE GROUP HAD HELD FOUR MEETINGS TO DISCUSS THE REPORT AND HAD DECIDED THERE SHOULD BE TWO DEBATES ON THE MATTER.

IN VIEW OF THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE ISSUES INVOLVED, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO SIXTH FORM EDUCATION, ONE DEBATE WOULD BE SOLELY DEVOTED TO THAT SUBJECT ON FEBRUARY 18 WHILE TODAY'S DEBATE WOULD CONCENTRATE ON SUBJECTS OTHER THAN SIXTH FORM EDUCATION, HE SAID.

MR CHEN ALSO EXPRESSED HIS VIEWS ON THE SUBJECT OF BILINGUAL SECONDARY EDUCATION.

RECOGNISING THAT MOTHER-TONGUE TEACHING HAD DEFINITE AND SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGES FOR THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS, HE STRESSED THAT ITS IMPLEMENTATION REQUIRED CAREFUL PLANNING AND CONSIDERATION.

+ONE OF THE FACTORS THAT ONE HAS TO BEAR IN MIND IS THAT BILINGUALISM IS ESSENTIAL FOR HONG KONG TO RETAIN ITS POSITION AS A LEADING INTERNATIONAL CENTRE OF FINANCE, TRADE AND INDUSTRY.

+ANOTHER FACTOR TO CONSIDER IS THE LIKELY IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR EXISTING TERTIARY EDUCATION SYSTEM, HE SAID.

HE SAID THAT ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY WAS AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION IF ENGLISH WERE CONTINUE TO BE THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS AS WAS GENERALLY THE CASE AT PRESENT.

MR CHEN SAID HE FEARED THAT A FALL IN THE STANDARD OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS A RESULT OF LOSS OF EXPOSURE WAS INEVITABLE AND MIGHT CARRY FORWARD TO THE POST-SECONDARY LEVEL.

/A LOWER