XN000022-1989-10-16 — Page 6

MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1989

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ALSO PRESENT TO GIVE DETAILS WERE THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR Y.T. LI: THE CHAIRMAN OF THE UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE (UPGC), MR ANDREW LI; AND THE SECRETARY OF THE EDUCATION COMMISSION. MR ANDREW WELLS.

MR YEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD EXAMINED THE PRESENT AND CONCLUDED THAT IT HAD ACHIEVED THE ESSENTIAL PROVISION AT AND SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVELS, BUT THERE REMAINED SCOPE IMPROVEMENT TO THE QUALITY OF THE EDUCATION PROVIDED.

POSITION

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"WE HAVE ALSO ACHIEVED HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION AT THE TERTIARY LEVEL, BUT WITH INSUFFICIENT PLACES," HE SAID.

"OUR STRATEGY IN GENERAL TERMS WILL THEREFORE BE ΤΟ MEET DEMAND FOR INCREASING THE LEVEL OF SUBSIDY

TO

DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL SECTORS MORE SELECTIVELY AND CRITICALLY THAN IN THE PAST, AND TO CONCENTRATE ON RAISING STANDARDS AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION.

"SPECIFIC IMPROVEMENT MEASURES WILL BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR INTRINSIC AND RELATIVE EDUCATIONAL IMPORTANCE, THE TIME AND RESOURCES NEEDED FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND THE ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT PROCEEDING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

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"THE EDUCATION COMMISSION WILL REVIEW OVERALL PROGRESS EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN THE LIGHT OF THESE CRITERIA IN A PREFACE TO ITS NEXT REPORT DUE TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT YEAR."

IN THE MEANTIME, MR YEUNG SAID, THE GOVERNMENT HAD APPROVED AND GIVEN HIGH PRIORITY TO MAJOR PROPOSALS FOR TERTIARY EDUCATION EXPANSION, A NEW SUBSIDY SCHEME FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS, THE PHASING-IN OF WHOLE-DAY PRIMARY EDUCATION AND IMPROVEMENTS TO KINDERGARTENS.

"ON TERTIARY EDUCATION, WE INTEND TO INCREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE RELEVANT AGE GROUP TAKING FIRST DEGREES FROM ABOUT SEVEN PER CENT NOW TO OVER 18 PER CENT BY 1994-95, HE SAID.

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A STEERING GROUP HAS BEEN SET UP ÚNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, WITH HIGH LEVEL REPRESENTATION FROM THE UPGC, THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL (VTC} AND THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO MONITOR PROGRESS.

"THE UPGO AND THE STEERING GROUP WILL HAVE TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS AND THE POSSIBLE NEED FOR ECONOMIES BY THE INSTITUTIONS, SUCH AS INCREASING STUDENT-STAFF RATIOS AND THE USE OF SUMMER TIME TEACHING.

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'THE UPGC WILL REVIEW PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTATION IN 1993-94, WITH A VIEW TO CONSIDERING WHETHER FURTHER EXPANSION DURING PERIOD 1995-2000 WOULD BE DESIRABLE OR PRACTICABLE.

'THIS REVIEW WILL USEFULLY COINCIDE WITH THE REVIEW UPGC HAS ALREADY BEEN ASKED TO CONDUCT, BEFORE THE 1994-97 OF THE PROGRESS MADE TOWARDS ACHIEVING A COMMON POINT OF TERTIARY EDUCATION AFTER SECONDARY 7."

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