XN000022-1993-11-03 — Page 14

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1993

SAID,

IN ORDER TO AVOID THE PROBLEM IN THE LONGER TERM, MR BLAKE BOTH THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT AND THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT ARE NOW ACTIVELY CONSIDERING THE POSSIBLE USE OF ALTERNATIVE NON- FERROUS PIPE MATERIALS WHICH WILL NOT BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO RUSTING.

MEANWHILE, FOR EXISTING BUILDINGS, REGULAR MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME WILL CONTINUE TO BE CARRIED OUT TO ENSURE THAT STORAGE TANKS AND WATER SYSTEMS IN ALL HOUSING ESTATES ARE KEPT CLEAN, AND THAT WHERE THE EXISTING PIPES NEED TO BE RENEWED, THEY WILL BE REPLACED BY PIPES MADE OF NON-FERROUS MATERIALS, HE SAID.

LANGUAGE STANDARDS OF LOCAL STUDENTS NOT FALLING

THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE OVERALL STANDARD IN CHINESE AND ENGLISH LANGUAGES FOR SECONDARY FIVE STUDENTS IN YEARS,

RECENT ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OF THE HONG KONG CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION EXAMINATION.

THE HONG KONG ATTAINMENT TESTS OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS ALSO INDICATED THAT THE STANDARDS OF PRIMARY ONE ΤΟ SECONDARY THREE STUDENTS IN THE TWO SUBJECTS HAD EITHER RISEN GRADUALLY OR REMAINED THE SAME.

THIS WAS STATED BY THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, MR MICHAEL LEUNG, IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON CHEUNG MAN- KWONG IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

MR LEUNG OBSERVED THAT THE DEMAND FOR THOSE WHO WERE ABLE то COMMUNICATE WELL IN CHINESE AND ENGLISH HAD INCREASED TREMENDOUSLY AS HONG KONG'S POSITION AS A LEADING INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL AND CENTRE BECAME MORE PROMINENT.

SERVICE

"THIS DEVELOPMENT HAS LED TO THE GENERAL BELIEF THAT LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY, PARTICULARLY IN ENGLISH, HAS FALLEN, HE SAID.

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"WB HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT SOME OF THE MORE EFFECTIVE WAYS IMPROVE LANGUAGE STANDARDS ARE TO EXPOSE STUDENTS TO MORE LANGUAGE USAGE AND TO IMPROVE THE SKILLS OF THE LANGUAGE TEACHERS.

"ADDITIONAL RESOURCES WILL BE NEEDED ΤΟ INITIATE IMPROVEMENTS AND TO TEST NEW METHODOLOGIES, HE ADDED.

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THESE

NOTING THAT A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF THE RECURRENT BUDGET FOR SCHOOL AND TEACHER TRAINING WAS SPENT ON LANGUAGE EDUCATION, LEUNG

MR SAID SPECIFIC MEASURES WERE ALSO INTRODUCED OVER THE PAST FIVE SCHOOLS YEARS (1988/89 TO 1992/93) TO IMPROVE LANGUAGE EDUCATION IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

OF THE $485 MILLION SPENT IN THIS RESPECT, MOST HAD BEEN USED IN PROVIDING ADDITIONAL CHINESE LANGUAGE TEACHERS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF TEACHING IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS (INVOLVING 359 TEACHERS AND $308 MILLION) AND ADDITIONAL ENGLISH TEACHERS FOR SCHOOLS WHICH USE CHINESE AS THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION (INVOLVING 139 TEACHERS AND $107 MILLION).

/THE GOVERNMENT