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"These initiatives have been well-received. However, Members of this Council have been unanimous in arguing that teachers must be adequately paid if they are to have sufficient incentive to improve their qualifications.
"Members have therefore proposed more direct help to enable kindergartens to employ trained teachers.
"We are sympathetic to this proposal, and accept that improvements are clearly needed. We are looking urgently at how best to achieve this, and resources have been earmarked for this purpose," he said.
Apart from kindergarten education, Sir Hamish said the Government also recognised the need to look at the child care centre sector.
"My colleagues, the Secretary for Education and Manpower and the Secretary for Health and Welfare, are working together enthusiastically to produce early proposals on the best way forward in these two vital areas for our young children," he said.
On support for nurses, Sir Hamish said the Government would be able to implement further improvements in the training and role of nurses in addition to the measures announced in last year's Policy Address.
"We will increase the number of first-year first-degree places in nursing from 40 to 180 over three years; upgrade the qualifications of nursing tutors; and employ more health care assistants to relieve nurses of their non-professional duties.
"These measures will help us to raise still further the quality of care in our hospitals and clinics," he said.
On health promotion, Sir Hamish noted that tobacco was the single most preventable cause of death and the Government would introduce further anti-smoking legislation.
In parallel with this, the Government will intensify health education and publicity by setting up a Health Care and Promotion Fund with an injection of $80 million.
This fund will be used for two purposes, to increase educational research and other activities to promote awareness of health issues.
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