XN000022-1992-04-01 — Page 19

17

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1992

SAID:

MIXED-MODE

REFERRING TO THE ONLY OUTSTANDING ITEM IN ECR4, MR CHAN

ON RECOMMENDATION NOT YET TAKEN A VIEW ON THE

MADE SOON. SCHOOLING,

I EXPECT A DECISION TO BE

HAVE

"WE PRIMARY

BUT

MR CHAN SAID THE ADDITIONAL ALLOCATION OF $300 MILLION HAD BEEN THE TERTIARY FOR POSSIBLE BY NEW STUDENT NUMBER PROJECTIONS

MADE

SECTOR.

"WHEN

THE

GOVERNMENT DECIDED IN 1989 TO

PROVIDE

FIRST-YEAR,

FIRST-DEGREE PLACES FOR AT LEAST 18 PER CENT OF THE 17-20 AGE GROUP BY 1994-95, THE TARGET TRANSLATED INTO APPROXIMATELY 15,000 PLACES ON THE FUNDING HAS BASIS OF POPULATION PROJECTIONS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME. HE EXPLAINED. THEREFORE BEEN PROVIDED FOR THIS NUMBER,

"

WILL BE FEWER "WE NOW KNOW FROM THE 1991 CENSUS THAT THERE STUDENTS IN THE RELEVANT AGE GROUP. IT HAS THEREFORE BEEN POSSIBLE TO FIRST-DEGREE PLACES BY REVISE THE PROVISION TO 14,500 FIRST-YEAR,

THE 18 PER CENT 1994-95, WITH RESULTANT SAVINGS, AND STILL MEET TARGET.

"AFTER

CONSULTING

THE CHAIRMAN

OF THE

UNIVERSITY

AND

WITH

POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE (UPGC), WHO HAS IN TURN DISCUSSED THE HEADS OF THE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS, IT HAS NOW BEEN CONFIRMED THAT $300 MILLION OUT OF THE $18.2 BILLION PREVIOUSLY ALLOCATED TO THE UPGC CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR RE-ALLOCATION.

"THE

FINANCIAL SECRETARY HAS MOST HELPFULLY AGREED THAT FUNDS SHOULD BE DEPLOYED IN THEIR ENTIRETY TO THE SCHOOLS SECTOR, SAID.

THESE

|| HE

FUNDING

ON CONCERNS EXPRESSED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS ON EDUCATION PROVIDED WITHIN THE DRAFT ESTIMATE FOR 1992-93, MR CHAN REFUTED CLAIMS THAT THERE HAD BEEN ANY CUT-BACK IN EXPENDITURE.

PER CENT

THE PROPOSED OVERALL ALLOCATION FOR 1992-93 IS FIVE ABOVE THE REVISED ESTIMATE FOR 1991-92. THIS INCREASE IS IN LINE WITH

POSSIBLE ACCOUNT GDP

AND GROWTH

DOES NOT AS YET TAKE INTO ADJUSTMENTS IN 1992-93.

SALARY

THERE IS AN INCREASE OF 1.5 PER CENT IN THE ALLOCATION TO SCHOOLS SECTOR. THIS INCREASE DOES NOT EVEN TELL THE WHOLE STORY,

THE

HEAD OF

FOR EXAMPLE, SOME FUNDING EARMARKED SEPARATELY FOR IMPLEMENTING TWO KEY RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE ECR4 HAS YET TO BE CAPTURED UNDER 40

: EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WHILE SOME PROVISION HAS BEEN TAKEN OUT

UPON THE UPGRADING OF HEAD 40 AND TRANSFERRED TO HEAD 190: UPGC, LINGNAN COLLEGE TO A DEGREE GRANTING INSTITUTION.

ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IS AN EXPECTED DECLINE OF CENT IN PRIMARY SCHOOL ENROLMENT DUE TO POPULATION CHANGE RESULTING IN REDUCED EXPENDITURE.

2.

4 PER AND THUS

/ON THE