XN000022-1989-10-11 — Page 33

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1989

16

EDUCATION TARGETS TO BE UPGRADED

THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSES TO UPGRADE SUBSTANTIALLY THE EDUCATION TARGETS SET ONLY LAST YEAR, THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY), POINTING TO FACTORS SUCH AS RISING EXPECTATIONS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

TODAY IS THAT THEIR

"THE AMBITION OF ORDINARY FAMILIES CHILDREN SHOULD DO WELL ENOUGH IN EXAMINATIONS TO BE ABLE TO GO ON SOME KIND OF POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION.

TO

MEANS THAT

ECONOMY "AT THE SAME TIME. THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR WE NEED AN INCREASING NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE TRAINED BEYOND SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL.

"IT IS CLEAR THAT WE ARE NOT AT PRESENT ABLE TO MEET THE FULL

GO EXTENT OF THIS DEMAND, AS MANY HONG KONG STUDENTS NOW

ABROAD FOR TERTIARY EDUCATION AS STAY IN HONG KONG," THE GOVERNOR SAID.

ANOTHER FACTOR WAS EMIGRATION, HE NOTED.

"WE MUST NOW PLAN ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT WE WILL LOSE A PROPORTION OF OUR FUTURE GRADUATES ABROAD, HE SAID.

IT

THAT THE TARGETS SET LAST YEAR WOULD HAVE MEANT

IN THE YEAR 1995, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WOULD BE FIRST-YEAR, FIRST-DEGREE PLACES FOR NEARLY 13 PER CENT OF THE RELEVANT AGE GROUP, COMPARED WITH ABOUT SEVEN PER CENT NOW.

ALTHOUGH THIS WAS AN AMBITIOUS TARGET, SIR DAVID SAID, NOW CLEAR THAT WE MUST BE EVEN MORE AMBITIOUS.

IT WAS

"I HAVE ASKED THE UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE (UPGC) TO INCREASE THE PLANNED PROVISION OF FIRST-YEAR, FIRST-DEGREE PLACES FROM ABOUT 7,000 NEXT YEAR TO ABOUT 15,000 IN 1995.

GROUP.

"THAT MEANS PLACES FOR OVER 18 PER CENT OF THE RELEVANT AGE

"THIS WILL NOT BE AT THE EXPENSE OF SUB-DEGREE PLACES. THESE WILL BE MAINTAINED AT THE

PLANNING LEVEL OF

DAVID SAID.

PREVIOUS

5,000,"

SIR

THE INCREASE WOULD GIVE A TOTAL OF 67,000 TERTIARY PLACES IN

CENT 1995, PROVIDING PLACES FOR NEARLY 25 PER

OF THE RELEVANT AGE GROUP, COMPARED WITH UNDER 14 PER CENT NOW, HE SAID.

NEW

SIR DAVID SAID THE UPGC WAS NOW WORKING OUT HOW TO MEET THESE TARGETS, AND ADDED THAT PLANS FOR EXPANDING THE EXISTING

PROBABLY UNIVERSITIES WOULD

HAVE TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD AND THE PERCENTAGE OF DEGREE PLACES OFFERED AT THE POLYTECHNICS BE INCREASED.

BEEN A GREAT OF MASS

HAD AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL. SIR DAVID NOTED THERE

IN THE DEAL OF CONCERN

COMMUNITY THAT THE INTRODUCTION EDUCATION HAD BEEN AT THE EXPENSE OF STANDARDS.

/"THERE IS