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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1994'
MR VINCENT CHENG: GOVERNOR I'D LIKE TO ASK THIS QUESTION CONCERNING THE EDUCATION POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT, WILL IT ENCOURAGE A MORE DIVERSIFIED EDUCATION POLICY SO THAT PARENTS WILL HAVE SOME KIND OF A CHOICE AS TO WHAT KIND OF EDUCATION THEIR CHILDREN WILL BE RECEIVING, OR WILL YOU ONLY BE VERY RIGIDLY FIXING THE MODE OF EDUCATION, SO THAT THE PARENTS DON'T HAVE ANY CHOICE WITH REGARD TO THE CHOICE. SO WILL PARENTS BE GIVEN A CHOICE.
GOVERNOR: YOU CAN'T CONCEIVABLY BE AGAINST GIVING PARENTS MORE CHOICE IN THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN, IT WOULD BE LIKE BEING AGAINST MOTHERHOOD. WE ALL WANT TO SEE PARENTS HAVING AS EXTENSIVE A CHOICE AS POSSIBLE, WHILE RECOGNISING IN RUNNING AN EDUCATION SYSTEM THAT CHOICE INEVITABLY HAS LIMITS. BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE PARENTS INVOLVED IN THE WHOLE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS THAN IS AT PRESENT THE CASE. THAT IS WHY I WELCOME, AS I SAID EARLIER THE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE, AND THAT'S WHY 1 WELCOME THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PTAS. I THINK PARENTS THEMSELVES WELCOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EDUCATIONAL SERVICE, I THINK THEY PARTICULARLY WELCOME MORE INFORMATION WHEN THEY CAN UNDERSTAND THE BULLETINS AND MEMORANDA WHICH'RE SENT TO THEM ABOUT THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN WHICH IS SOMETIMES WRITTEN IN A. I THINK, RATHER FIERCE BUREAUCRATISE. SO, YES I AM IN FAVOUR OF EXTENDING CHOICES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, THOUGH THERE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE PRACTICAL LIMITS BECAUSE OF THE PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES OF GOVERNMENT PROVIDING FOR EVERY SORT OF OPTION IN EVERY NEIGHBOURHOOD, I THINK IF I CAN JUST ADD ONE POINT THAT THE WAY IN WHICH HONG KONG HAS LEANT SO HEAVILY AND SO PROPERLY ON NON-GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONS FOR THE PROVISION OF SCHOOLS IS ITSELF AN ASSISTANCE IN PROVIDING A GREATER CHOICE.
MR VINCENT CHENG: THE GOVERNOR MAY NOT HAVE COMPLETELY GOT MY QUESTION. I REALLY WISH TO CONVEY AN OPINION THAT, BECAUSE THERE ARE COLLEAGUES CALLING FOR MODIFIED EDUCATION WHICH I AM ALL FOR, BUT I ALSO HAPPEN TO THINK THAT PARENTS, IF THEY WANT THEIR KIDS TO LEARN MORE ENGLISH, THEY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO SO.
GOVERNOR: I AM SURE THAT'S THE SORT OF CHOICE THAT ONE WELCOMES. AND IT'S
WHY AT THE RISK OF APPEARING IN MY MARXIST COLONIAL ROLE. IT'S WHY I ANSWERED EARLIER QUESTIONS IN THE WAY I DID. I THINK THAT THE MORE FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE ENCOURAGING AN APPROPRIATE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION POLICY, THE MORE WE CAN ESTABLISH BRIDGING COURSES. INTENSIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMMES, THE MORE WE CAN ENCOURAGE BETTER LANGUAGE SKILLS THROUGH THE TARGET-ORIENTED CURRICULUM, THE MORE WE CAN DEVELOP THE VOCATIONAL ENGLISH PROGRAMME AS WELL AS EQUIVALENTS TO ALL THOSE THINGS IN MANDARIN. THE MORE WE CAN DO THOSE THINGS THE WIDER THE PARENTS' CHOICES AND THE WIDER PUPILS' CHOICES WILL BE.
/MRS SELINA CHOW:
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