XN000022-1992-11-07 — Page 11

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1992

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TEACHERS REQUIRE UPDATED PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

TEACHERS TODAY ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE ON MANY MORE RESPONSIBILITIES THAN JUST TEACHING.

THEY MUST BE AWARE OF THE CHANGES IN THE COMMUNITY AND PREPARE THE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR A RAPIDLY EVOLVING ADULT WORLD, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR DOMINIC S W WONG SAID THIS (SATURDAY) MORNING.

ADDRESSING THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE REFRESHER TRAINING COURSE FOR SERVING SECONDARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, MR WONG SAID:

"THEY MUST ACQUIRE NOT ONLY UP-TO-DATE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS TO TEACH PARTICULAR SCHOOL SUBJECTS, BUT ALSO EQUIP THEMSELVES WITH SUPPORTING SKILLS SO THAT THEY CAN PERFORM EFFECTIVELY IN THE SOCIAL AND CORPORATE LIFE OF THEIR SCHOOLS, INTERACT WITH STUDENTS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM, AND ESTABLISH POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE".

ORGANISED BY THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, THE REFRESHER TRAINING COURSE HAS AN ENROLMENT OF 228.

MR WONG SAID A SIMILAR COURSE WAS BEING CONDUCTED BY THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, AND THERE WERE 191 PARTICIPATING TEACHERS.

"TOGETHER WITH THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN ADMITTED ΤΟ OUR TWO COLLEGES OF EDUCATION, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TEACHERS ENROLED THIS YEAR REACHES A RECORD HIGH OF 653," HE SAID.

EARLIER, MR WONG SAID IN THE PAST DECADE REFRESHER TRAINING COURSES FOR BOTH GRADUATE AND NON-GRADUATE TEACHERS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS WERE OPERATED BY NORTHCOTE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION.

THE AIM OF THIS TYPE OF COURSE IS TO UPDATE SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS' UNDERSTANDING OF MODERN TEACHING METHODS.

"WITH THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR REFRESHER TRAINING PLACES FOR GRADUATE TEACHERS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS DECIDED RECENTLY TO COMMISSION THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG AND THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG TO CONDUCT COURSES FOR GRADUATE TEACHERS AS FROM THIS SCHOOL YEAR, WHILE NORTHCOTE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HONG KONG TECHNICAL TEACHERS' COLLEGE WILL OPERATE COURSES FOR NON-GRADUATE AND TECHNICAL TRACHERS, HE SAID.

AS OF THIS SUMMER, A TOTAL OF 1,865 TEACHERS HAVE COMPLETED COURSES OFFERED BY THE TWO COLLEGES OF EDUCATION, HE ADDED.

WHILE PRAISING THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG FOR MAKING THIS COURSE A REALITY AND FOR SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASING THE PACE OF TEACHER RETRAINING, HE SAID THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WOULD STRONGLY SUPPORT AND WOULD CONTINUE WITH THE SPONSORSHIP OF THE COURSE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

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