XN000022-1994-05-05 — Page 3

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THURSDAY, MAY 5, 1994

TRANSCRIPT OF GOVERNOR'S MEDIA SESSION

THE

THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEDIA SESSION BY GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, AFTER VISITING THE WELLINGTON COLLEGE THIS (THURSDAY) AFTERNOON:

GOVERNOR: I AM DELIGHTED TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO VISIT WELLINGTON COLLEGE THIS AFTERNOON. IT'S OBVIOUSLY AN OUTSTANDINGLY GOOD SCHOOL DOING AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT JOB IN THE COMMUNITY. AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE TAKEN A NUMBER OF EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES OVER THE LAST YEAR. WE ARE INCREASING THE NUMBER OF GRADUATE TEACHERS IN OUR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. WE ARE SPENDING MORE MONEY TO REFURBISH SCHOOL BUILDINGS ABOUT $600 MILLION MORE WHICH IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT SO THAT YOUNG PEOPLE CAN HAVE DECENT CLASSROOMS TO LEARN AND THE TEACHERS CAN HAVE DECENT ACCOMMODATION FOR THEMSELVES AS WELL. WE'VE ALSO ESTABLISHED THE LANGUAGE FUND TO HELP IMPROVE PROFICIENCY IN BOTH CHINESE AND ENGLISH. BUT, THERE ARE TWO PARTICULAR INITIATIVES FROM WHICH THIS SCHOOL AND MANY OTHERS ARE BENEFITING. WE'VE SET UP A COMPUTER FUND FOR THIS YEAR, OF $114 MILLION WHICH ENABLES US TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF COMPUTERS IN OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND THAT

RESULTS IN, IN THIS SCHOOL, ANOTHER 25 COMPUTERS WHICH MEAN THAT EVERYBODY WHO IS DOING COMPUTER STUDY HAS THEIR OWN COMPUTER TO WORK WITH. WE'RE ALSO INCREASING THE NUMBER OF GRADUATE TEACHERS IN SCHOOLS WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF BAND-FIVE STUDENTS AND THIS SCHOOL WILL BE GETTING AN EXTRA GRADUATE TEACHER THIS SEPTEMBER AND WE'VE ALSO GOT A TEAM WORKING ON THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE CURRICULUM IN SCHOOLS WITH A NUMBER OF BAND-FIVE AND, INDEED, BAND-FOUR PUPILS. SO, IT IS VERY GOOD то SEE OUR SCHOOLS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SOME OF THE INITIATIVES THAT WE'VE LAUNCHED. I AM SURE IT'S THE CASE THAT EDUCATION UP NEAR THE TOP OF THEIR LIST OF PRIORITIES AND COURSE, WE'VE GOT TO GO ON EXPANDING THE OPPORTUNITIES PEOPLE IN TERTIARY EDUCATION, WE MUSTN'T LOSE SIGHT OF THE OF RAISING QUALITY IN OUR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. PLEASED TO SEE A SCHOOL DOING SUCH GOOD JOB THIS AFTERNOON.

PARENTS PUT WHILE, OF FOR YOUNG IMPORTANCE 30, I AM

WILL NOT

IT

QUESTION: MR GOVERNOR, PWC SUGGESTED THAT THE SAR LAND FUND BE HANDED OVER TO THE SAR IMMEDIATELY AFTER 1997. INSTEAD. SUGGESTED TO SET UP SOME KIND OF MECHANISM TO RE-INVEST IT. SO, DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS AN VIOLATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION?

/GOVERNOR: