XN000022-1989-03-18 — Page 7

6

SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 1989

CALL TO ALLAY CONCERN OVER UNIVERSITY ADMISSION * * * * *

S.

ALLAY UNDER

THE DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, MR DOMINIC W. WONG, TODAY (SATURDAY) HOPED THE TWO UNIVERSITIES WOULD HELP CONCERN OVER THEIR INTENTION TO ADOPT A JOINT ADMISSION SCHEME

STUDENTS WOULD WHICH

BE SELECTED FOR DEGREE COURSES DURING SECONDARY 6.

OFFICIATING AT THE INTER-SCHOOL DEBATING TROPHY COMPETITION 1988-89 HELD AT THE HONG KONG BAPTIST COLLEGE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY HALL,

TWO WEEKS MR WONG SAID IN THE LAST

ON ATTENTION HAD FOCUSED ANNOUNCEMENT

THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG AND THE UNIVERSITY TO ADOPT A JOINT ADMISSION SCHEME.

BY

THE CHINESE

THE EXPRESSED WORRY ABOUT

SELECTED FOR

"SOME SECONDARY SCHOOLS HAVE DISRUPTING EFFECT OF THE PROPOSED SCHEME, BOTH ON THOSE ADMISSION AND THOSE NOT GIVEN CONDITIONAL OFFERS.

"SOME REPORTS HAVE SUGGESTED THAT THE PROPOSED SCHEME COULD BE INTERPRETED AS A SIGN THAT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG WOULD EVENTUALLY DROP THE REQUIREMENT FOR ADVANCED LEVELS, THAT THE PRESENT

WORSE AND THAT CONFUSION IN THE SIXTH FORM WOULD BE MADE

THEN BECOME DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE A SYSTEM OF UNIFIED THE COMPLETION OF SECONDARY 7.

IT WOULD ENTRY FOLLOWING

UNIVERSITIES

THAT THE TWO "SUCH FEARS ARE VALID, AND I HOPE

BY EXPLAINING WILL SOON DISPEL THAT FEAR

THE REAL PURPOSE BEHIND TERTIARY THEIR LATEST PROPOSITION AND THEIR FUTURE DIRECTION TO OTHER INSTITUTIONS AND THE SCHOOL AUTHORITIES," HE SAID.

MR HAVING NOTED THESE FEARS,

WONG SAID HE HOPED THAT THIS WOULD ONLY BE AN PROPOSAL BY THE TWO UNIVERSITIES, IF IMPLEMENTED,

COMPLY WITH INTERIM ARRANGEMENT WHICH MUST VERY SOON BE CONVERTED TO ENTRY TO FIRST DEGREE COURSES ONLY AFTER

THE UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS.

7 AT SECONDARY

THEN "THIS WILL

BE IN LINE WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S RECENT ARE AGREED BETWEEN DECISION, PROVIDED THAT THE DETAILS OF OPERATION

TERTIARY THE

INSTITUTIONS

HAND ONE

AND THE SCHOOL

ALL

AUTHORITIES ON THE OTHER.

ON THE

SOME

WHILE "I NEED HARDLY POINT OUT THAT

FEATURES, ATTRACTIVE

THERE

CAN ALSO BE

CONDITIONAL OFFERS HAVE

AND RISKS

FURTHER

DISRUPTION, HE SAID.

OPEN HE THUS CALLED FOR MORE CONCERNED IN ORDER TO AVOID ANY MISUNDERSTANDING AND MUTUALLY ACCEPTABLE ARRANGEMENT.

DISCUSSIONS AMONG

THE PARTIES ΤΟ WORK OUT A

THE

UNTIL

HONG THE END

KONG,

BE THERE WOULD OF THE 1994-97 ACADEMIC

A

HE NOTED THAT IN IMPLEMENTING THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION ON

EDUCATION IN STRUCTURE OF TERTIARY

TRANSITION PERIOD LASTING TRIENNIUM FOR MAKING CHANGES.

"GRADUALLY THEREFORE