XN000022-1987-05-27 — Page 23

WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 1987

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FLOTATION CLASS SYSTEM TO STAY

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THE FLOTATION CLASS SYSTEM DID NOT HAVE ANY ADVERSE EFFECT UPON THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND IT SHOULD BE A PERMANENT FEATURE OF ALL PUBLIC SECTOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, THE HON MICHELANGELO PAGLIARI, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON MRS PAULINE NG, MR PAGLIARI SAID THE FLOATING CLASSES WERE A DEVICE TO ACHIEVE A MORE EFFICIENT USE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PREMISES.

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+AS SECONDARY SCHOOLS ARE PROVIDED WITH A MIXTURE OF STANDARD CLASSROOMS AND SPECIAL ROOMS FOR CERTAIN SPECIALISED ACTIVITIES IT IS POSSIBLE TO OPERATE MORE CLASSES THAN THERE ARE ACTUAL CLASSROOMS, MR PAGLIARI SAID.

HE FURTHER EXPLAINED THAT THERE HAD BEEN FLOATING CLASSES IN THE PRE-VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS SINCE THE 1950S AND 1960S, AND FLOATING CLASSES WERE NOT UNCOMMON IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA.

MR PAGLIARI TOLD THE COUNCIL THAT THE 1974 WHITE PAPER ON SECONDARY EDUCATION IN HONG KONG PROPOSED THE EXTENSION OF THE FLOTATION SYSTEM GENERALLY TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS AS PART OF A SERIES OF TEMPORARY MEASURES TO PERMIT THE INTRODUCTION OF UNIVERSAL JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION.

+A REVIEW OF THESE TEMPORARY MEASURES INCLUDING FLOTATION, WAS CARRIED OUT IN 1977 WITH A VIEW TO ASSESSING THEIR EFFECTS ON THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION, HE SAID.

FINDINGS OF THE REVIEW WERE INCORPORATED IN THE 1978 WHITE PAPER ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SENIOR SECONDARY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION+.

IT CONCLUDED THAT FLOTATION REPRESENTED AN EFFICIENT USE OF SCHOOL ACCOMMODATION, WITHOUT ANY SACRIFICE IN QUALITY.

MR PAGLIARI POINTED OUT THAT IN THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR, 289 SECONDARY SCHOOLS, WERE OPERATING A TOTAL OF 1 559 FLOATING CLASSES, REPRESENTING SOME 17 PER CENT OF ALL PUBLIC SECTOR SECONDARY CLASSES.

+ THE ASSESSMENT IN THE 1978 WHITE PAPER, THAT THE USE OF FLOATING CLASSES DID NOT IMPAIR THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION, WAS BASED ON THE SITUATION WHERE A STANDARD SCHOOL CONSISTED OF 24 CLASSROOMS PLUS 12 SPECIAL ROOMS AND WOULD ACCOMMODATE EITHER 5 OR 6 FLOATING CLASSES, HE SAID.

+THIS DEGREE OF FLOTATION WAS FELT TO BE ACCEPTABLE AS IT WOULD ACHIEVE A MORE INTENSIVE USE OF TEACHING FACILITIES. WITH CONSEQUENTIAL SAVINGS IN CAPITAL EXPENDITURE, WITHOUT LOSS OF QUALITY OF EDUCATION, HE ADDED.

/+SINCE THEN,