XN000022-1996-04-03 — Page 55

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Second, I am pleased to announce today that we have completed the review of the Kindergarten Subsidy Scheme. Subject to the approval of the Finance Committee of this Council, we propose to improve the rate of subsidy and the eligibility cut-off point from the 1996/97 school year onwards. Under our proposal, up to 90 percent of the kindergartens will be eligible to join the Scheme and the rate of subsidy will be increased to take account not only inflation but also the annual salary increment for teachers.

There have been a lot of comments on the distribution of resources between tertiary education and basic education. Let me assure Members that we adopt a total and building-block approach towards education. Given that we have achieved the target of providing 14,500 first-year-first degree places, thereby enabling 18% of our relevant age group to receive tertiary education, it should enter a period of consolidation. Our main emphasis now is to improve the quality of our graduates and to find ways to reduce costs. We will work closely with the University Grants Committee and I expect to receive their advice later this year.

As Secretary for Education and Manpower, my top priorities is continue try my best to seek new resources for basic education and to enhance its quality in a comprehensive manner. We also have to make the most cost-effective use of existing resources which are vast by themselves. In all these, I hope we can work closely with Members, the education sector, parents, employers and the community at large. I firmly believe that our investment in education and the fruit it bears are a key factor in deciding whether Hong Kong can continue to develop and remain stable and prosperous.

Manpower

Turning to the manpower programme. I am sure that Members are aware of the substantial additional resources allocated to enhancing employment services in the Budget. The provision will increase by a hefty 34 percent. The Government believes that helping job-seekers find jobs is the right way to tackle the problem of unemployment. Underpinning this are our training and retraining programmes to ensure that our students and workers acquire the most up-to-date skills to meet the needs of our ever changing economy.

Against this background, we have recently commenced a consultancy study on the Vocational Training Council. Our aim is to review the system of providing technical education and vocational training and to map out its long-term direction and strategy. We will shortly commission a consultancy to review the strategy, direction, funding arrangement and management structure of the Employees Retraining Scheme. Specifically, the study will assess the effectiveness of the various types of retraining courses in meeting the requirements of employers and the retraining needs of workers. Both reviews are expected to be completed this summer. Together, their findings should provide a solid basis for the Government to draw up a coherent and visionary blueprint for the development of our vocational training and retraining programmes into the next century.