XN000022-1993-10-27 — Page 25

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1993

"MORE POSTS WILL BE CREATED AND ADDITIONAL OFFICERS DEPLOYED TO TACKLE PRIORITY AREAS, HE STRESSED.

"

AS REGARDS IMPORTATION OF LABOUR, THE SECRETARY NOTED THAT GENERAL LABOUR IMPORTATION SCHEME WHICH HAD BEEN IN OPERATION SEVERAL YEARS, HAD HELPED TO ALLEVIATE THE ACUTE LABOUR SHORTAGE HONG KONG,

THE FOR IN

CONTRARY TO SOME CRITICISM, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT LOCAL WORKERS' INTERESTS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED AS A RESULT.

ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN SO FAR ONLY A FEW ALLEGATIONS, OF DISPLACEMENT BY IMPORTED WORKERS, MR LEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT WOULD CONTINUE ΤΟ BE VIGILANT IN MONITORING THE SCHEME AND SAFEGUARDING WORKERS' INTERESTS.

TURNING TO EDUCATION, MR LEUNG SAID THAT FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE AND COHERENT PLAN TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF SCHOOL EDUCATION SINCE 1990, THE GOVERNMENT WAS INJECTING ADDITIONAL FUNDS AND PROPOSING ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO SUPPLEMENT THAT PLAN.

HE ALSO REFUTED ALLEGATIONS THAT EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION, AS A PERCENTAGE OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) WAS TOO LOW.

"FIRST, AT THREE PER CENT OF GDP, HONG KONG COMPARES FAVOURABLY WITH SINGAPORE AND SOUTH KOREA.

"SECONDLY, AT 20.8 PER CENT, SPENDING ON EDUCATION CONSTITUTES THE SINGLE LARGEST ITEM OF GOVERNMENT RECURRENT EXPENDITURE.

"SUCH AN OBSERVATION THEREFORE REFLECTS MORE ON THE SIZE OF OUR PUBLIC SECTOR THAN ON THE PRIORITY WE GIVE TO EDUCATION,"

ON IMPROVEMENT TO KINDERGARTEN EDUCATION, MR LEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALREADY CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS TO INCREASE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO PARENTS.

THE EARLY IMPROVEMENT TO THE FEE REMISSION SCHEME IN 1994 AS PROPOSED IN THE GOVERNOR'S POLICY ADDRESS WILL MEAN A 12-FOLD INCREASE IN GOVERNMENT'S FUNDING SINCE THE SCHEME WAS FIRST IMPLEMENTED IN 1990.

MR LEUNG SAID: "IN PRACTICAL TERMS, A TYPICAL FAMILY OF FOUR WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR FEE REMISSION IN 1994 IF THEIR FAMILY INCOME DOES NOT EXCEED $12,000 PER MONTH, COMPARED TO $4,300 IN 1990.

"SUCH INCREASED ASSISTANCE ΤΟ NEEDY FAMILIES TO AFFORD REASONABLE FEES WILL IN TURN HELP IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION.

IT

PARALLELED WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF FEE REMISSION, MANY MORE TRAINED TEACHERS HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED, TEACHERS' PAY HAS BEEN IMPROVED, AND WASTAGE OF TRAINED TEACHERS HAS DECLINED.

MR LEUNG STRESSED THAT A WORKING PARTY WAS NOW EXAMINING THE ISSUES IN DETAIL TO SEE WHAT MORE SHOULD AND COULD BE DONE.

CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS WILL BE NEEDED BEFORE A DECISION IS MADE, HE ADDED.

/REPLYING TO