XN000022-1994-05-12 — Page 8

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1994

IS

THE AN THAT REAL

I THINK IT'S PERHAPS MORE SENSIBLE TO LOOK AT THE PROPORTION OF OUR PUBLIC EXPENDITURE WHICH GOES ON EDUCATION AND THE FIGURE THERE ABOUT 21% AND IT'S REMAINED FAIRLY CONSTANT THOUGH IT'S CERTAINLY HIGHEST OR THE LARGEST PUBLIC EXPENDITURE PROGRAMME WHICH IS INDICATION OF THE PRIORITY THAT WE ACCORD. IT'S ALSO TRUE EXPENDITURE ON SCHOOLS FOR EXAMPLE, HAS BEEN GOING UP BY 6.5% IN TERMS, THAT'S OVER THE INFLATION RATE IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, AND THAT'S BEEN A LARGER FIGURE THAN THE INCREASE IN PUBLIC EXPENDITURE AS A WHOLE ON OTHER PROGRAMMES.

SO I THINK WE'RE DOING PRETTY WELL, BUT I DON'T DISPUTE THE FACT THAT WE NEED TO DO MORE. THAT'S WHY WE'RE SPENDING ANOTHER $600 MILLION ON IMPROVING OUR SCHOOLS. THAT'S WHY WE'RE SPENDING OVER $150 MILLION TO GET ADDITIONAL TEACHERS. THAT'S WHY WE'RE SPENDING $103 MILLION ON REDUCING CLASS SIZES. ALL THOSE FIGURES ADD UP AND I THINK ADD UP IN A WAY WHICH THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WOULD AGREE WAS SATISFACTORY, BUT I DON'T DOUBT THAT NOT ONLY WILL EDUCATION NEED TO CONTINUE TO BE OUR BIGGEST SPENDING PROGRAMME IF WE'RE TO HAVE THE QUALITY OF WORKFORCE THAT WE'LL NEED IN THE FUTURE BUT THAT WE'LL HAVE TO SPEND A LOT MORE ON EDUCATION AS WELL, SO AT LEAST ON THAT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER AND I CAN MARCH AS ONE.

MR HENRY TANG (THROUGH INTERPRETER): ADULT

MR GOVERNOR, HOW COME THAT FOR

EDUCATION, INSTEAD OF SPENDING $60 MILLION, WE ARE ONLY HAVING $51 MILLION THIS YEAR?

GOVERNOR: I THINK I'M RIGHT IN SAYING THAT IF YOU TAKE CONTINUING EDUCATION AS A WHOLE, THE FIGURES THERE ARE GOING UP TOO AND SOME OF THE FIGURES ARE FOR CAPITAL RATHER THAN JUST RECURRENT. FOR EXAMPLE, I ANNOUNCED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO THAT WE WERE PROVIDING THE OPEN LEARNING INSTITUTE WITH $150 MILLION SO THAT IT COULD BUY ITS OWN HEADQUARTERS. THAT HAS RECURRENT SAVINGS FOR THE OLI IN DUE COURSE. I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THAT FIGURE IS INCLUDED IN THE HONOURABLE MEMBER'S FIGURE OR WHETHER THE $100 MILLION THAT WE'RE GIVING THE OLI FOR COURSE DEVELOPMENT IS INCLUDED IN THE FIGURE, BUT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS ENTIRELY RIGHT IN SUGGESTING THAT CONTINUING EDUCATION IS AN AREA THAT WE HAVE TO GIVE GREATER PRIORITY TO. I THINK HE'LL KNOW THAT THE UPGC IS LOOKING AT THE SUBJECT AT THE MOMENT AND INCLUDING IN IT'S REVIEW THE QUESTION OF SELF-FINANCING AND THAT IS OBVIOUSLY GOING TO HAVE TO SHAPE OUR APPROACH TO THE FUNDING OF THIS IMPORTANT SECTOR IN THE FUTURE.

MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WANT TO DROP-IN TO EDUCATION AT MORE MATURE STAGES OF THEIR LIVES. WE'VE GOT TO MAKE THAT AS EASY FOR PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. I MUST SAY THAT I HAVE BEEN GREATLY IMPRESSED BY THOSE I'VE MET IN CONTINUING EDUCATION WHO ARE VERY OFTEN, AFTER A VERY HARD DAY'S WORK, HAVING A HARD EVENING'S WORK ON TOP.

/MR ALFRED TSO