XN000022-1989-12-13 — Page 36

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1989

EXTENSIVE PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON LANGUAGE REPORT

* * * * *

THE

DEPARTMENT'S EDUCATION

RECENT

REVIEW

OF

LANGUAGE

POLICY ON AND MANPOWER,

IMPROVEMENT MEASURES HAS PROPOSED THE FORMULATION OF A NEW THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION MR K.Y. YEUNG, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

OF LANGUAGE SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE INSTITUTE

89", MR YEUNG SAID IN EDUCATION'S INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE "LULTAC

AND THE REVIEW CONTAINED NO FEWER THAN 78 RECOMMENDATIONS, BOTH MAJOR MINOR.

"PARED DOWN TO THE ESSENTIALS,

LANGUAGE

GROUPING THAT SOME FORM OF OFFER THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND LASTING SAID.

THESE RECOMMENDATIONS SUGGEST WOULD IN

EDUCATION SECONDARY SOLUTION ΤΟ THE

HE PROBLEM,

"BUT IT IS A PROPOSAL THAT MANY FACE WITH DO NOT SAY THIS LIGHTLY.

TREPIDATION, AND I

MR YEUNG SAID THE MANY RELATED ISSUES OF WOULD HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED AND RESOLVED IN THE FIRST INSTANCE.

STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE

"THAT IS WHY

WE

ARE

NOW HE SAID.

CONSULTING

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT'S REPORT,

EXTENSIVELY

ON

THE

AND

THE

LEVEL

FOR

"IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO TAKE THE IDEAS IN THE REPORT PUBLIC RESPONSE THEY HAVE RECEIVED TO THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SOME HARD-NOSED DECISIONS ON OUR MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION POLICY.

T

ΤΟ

"ONLY THEN WILL IT BE POSSIBLE FOR OUR PLANNERS AND EXPERTS WORK OUT THE MOST EDUCATIONALLY EFFECTIVE MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION.'

OF THE PROBLEM FACED IN MR YEUNG POINTED OUT THAT THE CRUX

ONE THE

CHILDREN HAND, A LARGE NUMBER OF HONG KONG WAS THAT ON

BUT ON THE OTHER LEARNT MORE EFFECTIVELY IN THE MEDIUM OF CHINESE,

FOR SKILLS

ESSENTIAL ENGLISH OF THE HAND,

DEVELOPMENT PROGRESSION TO TERTIARY EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT.

WAS

OF

NEITHER

"THE PRESENT SITUATION, IN WHICH MANY SCHOOLS USE A MIXTURE BOTH ENGLISH AND CHINESE, OFTEN RESULTS IN STUDENTS MASTERING LANGUAGE EFFECTIVELY," HE SAID.

THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, EARLIER IN HIS WELCOMING ADDRESS,

HAD BEEN MR Y.T. LI, SAID THAT SINCE THE MID-19TH CENTURY, QUESTIONS RAISED IN HONG KONG ABOUT STANDARDS IN THE USE OF ENGLISH AND CHINESE.

HE SAID THESE HAD,

TIMES, POINTED

AT VARIOUS

PERFORM SPECIFIC

RESULTS IN SCHOOL OR TERTIARY LEVEL EXAMINATIONS OR TO

ABILITY TO USE LANGUAGE TO PLACE AND IN COMMUNITY SERVICE.

SKILLS

ΤΟ

INADEQUATE THE LACK OF

THE IN

MARKET

/BUT MR