XN000022-1993-10-06 — Page 23

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1993

CONTRACTORS WHO FAIL TO MEET SAFETY STANDARDS WILL NOT BE AWARDED GOVERNMENT WORK, HE SAID.

AND THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION ADVISORY BOARD, THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO TRANSFORM SAFETY ATTITUDES THROUGHOUT THE WORKFORCE, HE ADDED.

ON RETRAINING OF THE WORKFORCE, MR PATTEN NOTED THAT THE EMPLOYEES' RETRAINING FUND HAD HELPED TO PROVIDE NEW SKILLS FOR TRAINEES.

4,000

TO

HE POINTED OUT THAT THERE WERE SCOPE FOR EXPANDING THE COVERAGE OF THE FUND TO HELP THE VICTIMS OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS TO RETURN EMPLOYMENT, OFTEN IN DIFFERENT TRADES OR INDUSTRIES; AND THROUGH RETRAINING, ELDERLY AND DISABLED WORKERS TO BECOME PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF THE LABOUR FORCE.

MEASURES TO IMPROVE QUALITY IN EDUCATION OUTLINED

THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, TODAY (WEDNESDAY) OUTLINED A NUMBER OF MEASURES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY IN EDUCATION.

IN HIS ANNUAL ADDRESS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, SAID BY NEXT YEAR HONG KONG WOULD HAVE PROVIDED FIRST DEGREE FOR FOUR OUT OF FIVE OF OUR SIXTH-FORMERS WHO QUALIFY FOR ENTRY TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS.

MR

PATTEN PLACES

INTO

"NOW WE NEED TO GO ONE BETTER. AS I SAID LAST YEAR, IT IS JUST QUANTITY BUT QUALITY THAT COUNTS.

NOT

"WE NEED THE BEST POSSIBLE RESULTS FROM OUR EDUCATION THE GOVERNOR SAID,

SYSTEM, "

TO :

HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT INTENDED TO SPEND AN EXTRA $354 MILLION,

*

ΤΟ UPGRADE ABOUT 860 PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHING POST'S то GRADUATE LEVEL; AND

TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF GRADUATE TEACHERS IN OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS BY AN ADDITIONAL 800 BY 1994.

"BUT IT IS NO GOOD HAVING FIRST-CLASS SECOND-RATE SCHOOL BUILDINGS.

TEACHERS

TEACHINO IN

"WE CANNOT EXPECT OUR CHILDREN TO PERFORM AT NOISY AND UNCOMFORTABLE CLASSROOMS.

THEIR BEST IN

OVER THE LAST YEAR, THE GOVERNMENT HAD INSTALLED AIR- CONDITIONERS IN 24 SCHOOLS UNDER THE NOISE ABATEMENT PROGRAMME AND ANOTHER 2,300 CLASSROOMS WILL BE AIR-CONDITIONED THIS YEAR.

—

/"I HOPE