XN000022-1987-01-21 — Page 8

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1987

FOLLOWING A RECENT DECISION BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG TO LENGTHEN ITS DEGREE COURSES FROM THREE YEARS TO FOUR YEARS, HE SAID HE HOPED THE LONG-STANDING PROBLEM OF TWO SEPARATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS WOULD BE RESOLVED.

MR SZETO SAID HE SUPPORTED THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE REPORT TO ALLOW CANDIDATES OF A-LEVEL EXAMINATION TO USE EITHER ENGLISH OR CHINESE IN THEIR ANSWERS AND TO MAKE +CHINESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE+ A COMPULSORY SUBJECT FOR ALL STUDENTS.

MR SZETO SAID HE FELT STRONGLY THAT IT WAS ESSENTIAL FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO PLAY A MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION.

+IT COULD BE DONE BY MAKING DIRECT SUBSIDY TO APPROVED NON-PROFIT-MAKING INSTITUTIONS FOR PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION, EXPEDITING THE PROVISION OF TRAINING FOR TEACHERS, FORMULATING A REASONABLE SALARY SCALE FOR KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS COMPARABLE TO THAT OF CHILD CARE CENTRE STAFF AND UNIFYING THE OPERATION OF KINDERGARTENS AND CHILD CARE CENTRES, HE SAID.

HE SUGGESTED A PARALLEL SUBVENTION POLICY BE ADOPTED.

+THAT IS TO SAY, APART FROM THE FEE ASSISTANCE SCHEME FOR PARENTS, THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD, BY WAY OF MAKING PROVISIONS IN THE ANNUAL BUDGET, GRADUALLY CONVERT SOME OF THE NON-PROFIT- MAKING KINDERGARTENS INTO SUBSIDISED ONES, MR SZETO EXPLAINED.

+THESE SUBSIDISED KINDERGARTENS SHOULD CONTINUE TO CHARGE FEES. THEY SHOULD OPERATE IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENTS IN REGARD TO TEACHER-PUPIL AND PUPIL-SPACE RATIOS, NUMBER OF TRAINED TEACHERS, SALARIES ETC. AND SHOULD SET AN EXAMPLE FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR INSTITUTIONS, HE SAID.

+ HEALTHY COMPETITION BETWEEN SUBSIDISED AND PRIVATELY-RUN KINDERGARTENS CAN ENHANCE THE GENERAL QUALITY OF PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION, HE ADDED.

ON THE TRAINING OF TEACHERS, MR SZETO SAID TEACHER PREPARATION WAS VITAL TO THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND SO THE PROVISION OF TRAINING MUST BE ACCELERATED.

HE PROPOSED THAT A JOINT TRAINING INSTITUTE SHOULD BE CREATED TO PROVIDE UNIFIED TRAINING COURSES FOR BOTH KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS AND CHILD CARE CENTRE STAFF, WHICH COULD AVOID THE WASTAGE OF RESOURCES RESULTING FROM THE PROVISION OF TRAINING BY DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS.

THE TWO-YEAR TEACHER TRAINING COURSE RUN BY THE GRANTHAM COLLEGE OF EDUCATION SHOULD BE EXPANDED IN 1988 AND PRE-SERVICE TRAINING SHOULD BE INTRODUCED IN 1990, HE ADDED.

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