XN000022-1992-01-29 — Page 31

29

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1992

MOREOVER, THE AVERAGE CLASS SIZE IN SCHOOLS HAD BEEN OVER THE PAST DECADE AND NOW AVERAGED 34.68 36.7 FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

DECLINING

FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS AND

IN PRIMARY OF ALL CLASSES

AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS RECEIVING THE PLACES STUDENTS UNDER

ALLOCATION SYSTEMS

SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION HAD LESS THAN 40 PUPILS, HE SAID.

NOW, A

FOR JUSTIFICATION MR CHAN SAID THE UNDER CONSIDERATION WAS BUDGETARY.

INTRODUCING THE MEASURE

HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT AS A WHOLE MUST PRODUCE SAVINGS PER CENT OF PROJECTED RECURRENT EXPENDITURE BY 1994-95.

OF 2.6

WHICH APPLIES ACROSS "IN LINE WITH THIS GOVERNMENT DIRECTIVE

SAVINGS THE BOARD, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN ASKED TO PRODUCE

ΤΟ 1994-95, HE OF ABOUT $400 MILLION OVER THREE YEARS FROM 1992-93 SAID.

MR CHAN SAID THE PLAN WAS ESTIMATED TO OF $406.4 MILLION FOR 1992 TO 1995.

HB

SAVINGS

11

PRODUCE TOTAL SAVINGS

AT

SCALING

BACK THE

BE AVAILABLE

"THESE

ARE AIMED SAID: PROJECTED GROWTH IN RECURRENT EXPENDITURE AND WOULD NOT

THIS FOR REDEPLOYMENT WITHIN THE EDUCATION AREA OR TO OTHER AREAS. IN

FROM AND DIFFERENT

EARLIER BASELINE CONNECTION, THEY ARE SEPARATE SAVINGS WHICH HAVE ALREADY BEEN REDEPLOYED ON IMPROVING EDUCATION.

MR CHAN NO IMPLICATIONS OF BAND FIVE PUPILS.

ENROLMENT OF 38 OR THE LATTER CASE, THE OF 42 WOULD BE MARGINAL AND

ON THE POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS OF THE PROPOSED MEASURE, SAID ACCORDING TO AN ASSESSMENT MADE, THERE WOULD BE FOR PARENTS OR CLASSES WITH A HIGH PROPORTION THERE WOULD BE LITTLE EFFECT ON CLASSES WITH AN LESS BUT SOME EFFECT ON THE OTHER CLASSES. IN UNDESIRABLE EFFECT OF A LARGER CLASS COULD BE EXPECTED TO BE REDUCED OVER TIME.

ANY INCREASE IN INDIVIDUAL TEACHERS' WORKLOAD WOULD BE HE SAID.

SLIGHT,

TEACHERS CLASSES,

THE

ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 860 THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WOULD BE AFFECTED BY THE PROPOSED REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF BUT NO REDUNDANCIES WOULD OCCUR BECAUSE THEY COULD BE ABSORBED BY OVERALL DEMAND FOR TEACHERS.

THE RANKING OF PRIMARY SCHOOL HEADS WOULD NOT BE AFFECTED AS DIRECT RESULT OF THIS MEASURE, MR CHAN SAID.

A

MR CHAN

SAID:

"AGAINST

THE

GOVERNMENT

SHORT TERM MEASURE, TO

THIS BACKGROUND, CONSIDERS THAT IT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE, AS A DISPENSE WITH THE PRESENT REPEATER ALLOWANCE.'

十平

NECESSARY SAVINGS, THIS HE SAID IN ADDITION TO ACHIEVING THE

THE TO REDUCE

NUMBER OF FLOATING MEASURE WOULD MAKE IT POSSIBLE

FREE CLASSROOMS CLASSES IN OVER-CROWDED SECONDARY SCHOOLS AS WELL AS

SECONDARY AND TEACHERS TO MEET THE CURRENT POLICY TARGET OF PROVIDING SIX PLACES FOR ONE-THIRD OF THE RELEVANT SECONDARY FOUR ENROLMENT.

/HE SAID