XN000022-1993-03-10 — Page 31

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 1993

POST

THE

ON THE QUESTION WHY A RECENTLY VACATED POLICY SECRETARY WAS NOT FILLED BY A LOCAL OFFICER, MR WIGGHAM EXPLAINED THAT APPOINTMENT WAS MADE ON THE BASIS OF THE BEST OFFICER THE POST.

AVAILABLE FOR

OFFICERS CITING AS DUTIES

UNDER THE CURRENT POLICY, HE SAID, LOCAL AND OVERSEAS WERE BEING CONSIDERED ON EQUAL TERMS FOR ANY VACANCIES, EXAMPLE TWO LOCAL OFFICERS WHO WOULD ASSUME POLICY SECRETARY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS,

MEET

ENOUGH TEACHERS TO MEET DEMAND

THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH TEACHERS IN THE 1993/94 ACADEMIC YEAR TO DEMAND ARISING FROM IMPROVEMENT MEASURES GOVERNOR'S POLICY ADDRESS AND RECOMMENDED IN EDUCATION REPORT NO. 5.

ANNOUNCED IN THE

IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON TIK CHI-YUEN IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY), THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, MR JOHN CHAN, ESTIMATED THAT 24,661 NON-GRADUATE AND 12,976 GRADUATE TEACHERS WOULD BE REQUIRED IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE NEW ACADEMIC YEAR.

SECTOR PRIMARY AND

NON-

THESE FIGURES HAVE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THE ADDITIONAL 785 GRADUATE TEACHERS REQUIRED FOR THE IMPROVEMENT MEASURES AS WELL AS THE REDUCTION OF 324 TEACHERS DUE TO POPULATION CHANGE,

MEANWHILE, THE SUPPLY OF NON-GRADUATE AND GRADUATE TEACHERS PUBLIC SECTOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN 1993/94 19 EXPECTED BR 24,535 AND 12,657 RESPECTIVELY.

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IN

TO

"THERE WOULD THEREFORE BE A THEORETICAL SHORTFALL OF 116 GRADUATE AND 319 GRADUATE TEACHERS, REPRESENTING 0.5 AND 2.5 PER RESPECTIVELY OF THE DEMAND," MR CHAN SAID.

NON-

CENT

LIGHT OF 3.5

"GIVEN THE SIZE OF THE TEACHING FORCE AND IN THE EXPERIENCE IN THE PAST THREE YEARS WHEN VACANCIES AVERAGE ONE AND PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ESTIMATES THAT THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH TEACHERS TO MEET DEMAND IN THE NEW ACADEMIC YEAR," HE ADDED.

MR CHAN ALSO NOTED THAT PRIVATE SCHOOLS WERE UNAFFECTED BY IMPROVEMENTS INVOLVING ADDITIONAL TEACHERS.

THE

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