XN000022-1990-04-14 — Page 2

SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 1990

GOVT WORKS HARD TO PROMOTE COMPUTER LITERACY IN SCHOOLS

IN

THE GOVERNMENT HAS WORKED HARD TO PROMOTE COMPUTER LITERACY SCHOOLS FOR OVER 10 YEARS, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, MR K.Y. YEUNG, SAID TODAY (SATURDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 7TH MICRO-COMPUTERS CREATIVITY CONTEST AND EXHIBITION, MR YEUNG SAID THIS HAD FOLLOWED SHIFTS IN HONG KONG'S ECONOMY AND SOCIETY TOWARDS HIGHER SKILLS AND TECHNOLOGY.

HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS INCLUDED INTRODUCING COMPUTER STUDIES AT THE SENIOR SECONDARY LEVEL, A COMPUTER LITERACY PROJECT AT THE JUNIOR SECONDARY LEVEL AND SETTING UP A COMPUTER EDUCATION CENTRE.

"IN ORDER TO ASSIST SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR WHICH NOW ACCOUNTS FOR 85 PER CENT OF ALL SCHOOLS IN HONG KONG IMPLEMENT THIS SUBJECT, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT LAUNCHED COMPUTER STUDIES SCHEME IN 1984," HE SAID.

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TO

THE

"BY 1989-90, 327 SCHOOLS HAVE JOINED THE SCHEME, REPRESENTING ABOUT 90 PER CENT OF ALL PUBLIC SECTOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS. THE TOTAL COST HAS BEEN ABOUT $40 MILLION.

IT

"A FURTHER 20 SCHOOLS HAVE APPLIED TO PARTICIPATE IN 1990. IS EXPECTED THAT ALL SECONDAY SCHOOLS WISHING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SCHEME WILL BE COVERED BY THE 1992-23 SCHOOL YEAR,"

MR YEUNG SAID THIS

INVESTMENT HAD YIELDED

ENCOURAGING

DIVIDENDS.

"IN 1984, THE FIRST YEAR IN WHICH COMPUTER STUDIES BECAME AN EXAMINATION SUBJECT, 2,561 STUDENTS OR ABOUT 1.6 PËR CENT OF THE HKCEE CANDIDATURE SAT FOR THIS EXAMINATION," HE SAID.

"BY 1989. THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS HAS RISEN ΤΟ 11,852, REPRESENTING A LITTLE OVER NINE PER CENT OF THE HKCEE CANDIDATURE IN THAT YEAR.

THESE PERCENTAGES ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE AS THE SCHEME TAKES ROOT IN OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS."

MR YEUNG SAID THE COMPUTER LITERACY PROJECT WAS INTRODUCED IN SEPTEMBER 1987 AND NOW 70 SCHOOLS OR ABOUT 20 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL HAD INCLUDED THE SUBJECT IN THEIR SECONDARY 1 TO 3 CLASSES.

"THE NEXT PHASE WILL INVOLVE 30 SEPTEMBER 1990 AND A FURTHER 50 SCHOOLS IN YEARS," HE SAID.

ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS BY EACH OF THE SUBSEQUENT

/AS FOR