XN000022-1992-10-13 — Page 13

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1992

GOVERNOR:

I THINK BY YOUR REACTION TO THAT QUESTION, ALL OF YOU RECOGNISE HOW CRUCIAL IT IS. ANY GOOD EDUCATION WE ALL KNOW, HAS TO BE A BALANCE, A BALANCE BETWEEN CHILDREN LEARNING THINGS AND THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO LEARN IN THE CLASSROOM AND CHILDREN DEVELOPING IN A BROADER WAY; AND WHAT IS RIGHT FOR ONE CHILD ISN'T NECESSARILY RIGHT FOR THE CHILD SITTING NEXT TO HIM OR HER IN THE CLASSROOM. AS I SAID IN MY SPEECH THE OTHER DAY, SOME CHILDREN

ARE, FROM THEIR FIRST MOMENT IN SCHOOL, BUDDING EINSTEINS; SOME CHILDREN ARE VERY GOOD AT WORK, OTHER CHILDREN ARE BETTER AT DAY-DREAMING. WHAT IS IMPORTANT AND IT'S THE GREAT CHALLENGE TO GOOD TEACHERS - IS TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AFTER THE DIFFERENT INTERESTS AND DIFFERENT ABILITIES OF EVERY CHILD AND TO HELP INDIVIDUAL CHILDREN DEVELOP TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL,

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I'LL TELL YOU WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH ALL OF US WHO ARE PARENTS. WE WERE EDUCATED YEARS AGO, I LEFT SCHOOL I WON'T TELL YOU HOW LONG AGO AND WE TEND TO THINK THAT THE ONLY SORT OF EDUCATION WHICH MAKES SENSE IS THE SORT THAT WE HAVE WHEN WE WERE AT SCHOOL. I KNOW VERY WELL THAT MY OWN CHILDREN HAVE BEEN BETTER EDUCATED THAN I WAS, HAVE BEEN EDUCATED IN A MUCH BROADER WAY, HAVE BEEN TAUGHT TO THINK AND UNDERSTAND, NOT JUST TO LEARN. SO I DO THINK, AS PARENTS, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES THAT THE CURRICULUM CHANGES, THAT TEACHING STYLE CHANGES. SO LONG AS THE CORE OF EDUCATION IS HARD, SO LONG AS THE CORE OF EDUCATION ENSURES THAT CHILDREN DEVELOP TO THE FULL, THAT IS A GOOD EDUCATION IN MY VIEW. I THINK IT IS CRUCIAL TO BUILD THE BRIDGES BETWEEN PARENTS AND TEACHERS, THROUGH PARENT-TEACHER ASSOCIATIONS, THROUGH CLOSER INVOLVEMENT OF PARENTS IN HELPING ΤΟ RUN SCHOOLS, BECAUSE THAT WAY,

IF PARENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM MORE, AND IF TEACHERS KNOW PARENTS BETTER, I THINK SOME OF THE DIVISIONS AND BREAKDOWNS IN COMMUNICATION WHICH YOU MENTIONED WOULD BE ENDED.

YOU THAT CARRY ME

NOW WE'VE OVER-RUN BY FIFTEEN MINUTES AND I HAVE TO TELL THERE ARE MEN IN THE WINGS AND I THINK THEY ARE WAITING TO OFF.

BUT THERE ARE TWO GROUPS THAT I WANT TO THANK THIS EVENING. FIRST OF ALL. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR COMING AND ASKING SUCH GOOD QUESTIONS AND BEHAVING SO WELL. JUST IN CASE ANYBODY DOUBTED IT, YOU'VE DEMONSTRATED ONCE AGAIN THAT WE CAN DISCUSS SOMETIMES VERY CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES AT A PUBLIC MEETING LIKE THIS IN HONG KONG IN A GOOD SPIRIT.

AND SECONDLY, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ANOTHER GROUP. WITHOUT THEM, I'M AFRAID, THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE UNDERSTOOD YOUR QUESTIONS, AND SOME OF YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE UNDERSTOOD MY ANSWERS. I'D LIKE ΤΟ THANK THE INTERPRETERS WHO, ONCE AGAIN, HAVE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB. FOR COMING.

THANK YOU

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