TNAG-0099-FCO40-135-Visit-by-Secretary-of-State-1967 — Page 54

Letter to Bowden seeking HK education reforms

TEACHERS' MEMO IGNORED

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CM 7/307

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15-POINT memorandum sent to Mr Herbert Bowden, Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs, more than four weeks ago has not been acknowledged, the President of the Hong- kong Teachers Association said today.

The memorandum called for compulsory free educa- tion, increased expenditure on education, more Chinese for senior Education Depart- ment posts and fixed minimum pay rates for teachers.

"In the past when we pre- sented our views to high officials from England they were at least acknowledged,” Mr Li Shi-yi, President of the Hongkong Teachers Association said today.

Mr Li told the China Mail that when the Association learned Mr Bowden was coming

During his three-day visit, Mr Herbert Bowden, did not have time to talk to Un- official Members of the Urban Council, local politi- cal parties or the Hongkong Teacher's Association,

Or so the Colonial Secre- tariat said.

But he did have time to:

spend 40 minutes touring the Queen Elizabeth Hospital

• visit the Technical College in Hung Hom and o metal and plastic ware factory in San Po Kong

fly around the New Territories in a helicopter for "an aerial view of some of Hongkong's major deve- lopment areas."

the

· visit a police station, Shatiu New Town

site, the Plover Cove scheme and the site for the New Chinese University.

Before Mr Bowden arriv- ed representatives of the Civic Association, the Hong- kong Teachers Association and Unofficial Members of the Urban Council requested a chance to meet him.

The Colonial Secretariat repiled in each case: "Mr Bowden's visit will be a very short one, his pro- gramme is tuli and un fortunately he will not have time to see you."

Mr Bowden leaves for UK tonight.

to Hongkong they wrote to the Colonial Secretariat asking for an interview with him.

"But the Secretariat replied that Mr Bowden's visit would be very short and he would not have time to see us."

The Association then asked if they could present their views to Mr Bowden, The Secretariat said yes

provided the memorandum passed through its channels first.

The 15-point memorandum was prepared by the Association and sent to the Colonial Secret- ariat more than four weeks ago. It has not been heard of since.

"I guess Mr Bowden is too busy," said Mr LL.

POLICY

Briedy, the 13-point memo- randum requested:

More say in the Colony's education policy and more Chinese in Senior Education De- partment posts. "At present the Government does not allow teachers any say on policy mat- ters," said Mr Li.

or

"Most of the Board of Educa- tion's members are not educa- tionalists, but businessmen other prominent men. The minority of educationalists on the board are all senior men,' he said.

Very few of the top men in the Education Department are Chinese, which is "con- trary to the declared policy of Government."

"It would seem Governinent's localisation policy does not apply to the Education Department," Mr Li said.

Official rejection of the new salary scales proposed in the recent White Paper on Education and scrapping of the new staffing ratios. No teachers are satisfied with these, said Mr Li. "The new staffing ratios mean that we cannot give enough attention to individual pupils."

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