TNAG-0251-FCO40-287-Education-policy-of-government-of-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 127

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Mr. Carter

I submit a draft Answer with Notes for Supplementaries to the Oral Question put down by Baroness Summerskill for answer on 4 March. The draft and supplementary note are based on Hong Kong telegram No.126 attached.

2.

The Question may have been inspired by an article appearing on 15 February in the Sunday Mirror. A photocopy is attached. This article cites the figure of 80,000. No authority for the figure is

known.

3. The draft is also based on an answer given in reply to a similar Parliamentary Question by

Mr. Colin Jackson in the House of Commons on 15 December, 1969.

4. The Governor made a statement on 26 February, 1969 which expressed his personal reservations about making primary education compulsory. He said :

5.

"I do believe that primary education to a good

standard should be as readily available and as cheap to all as possible, although I have personally residual doubts about the wisdom of making it free anywhere, and the gravest doubts about the practicability of making it effectively compulsory in our present circum- stances. I am sure we shall be able, however, quite soon to see an aided primary education readily available to all who desire it. I hope also that, by reducing costs to the parent still further and in other ways removing as far as possible the reasons why children fail to attend school, we shall be able to reduce the problem of non-attendance at school, to a point where legislation can cope with the inevitable residue of those who wilfully keep their children from school.

The Sunday Mirror failed to mention that the Governor's doubts were "personal" and it is clear from his statement above that his doubts do not affect the Hong Kong Government's declared policy.

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(P. R. Spendlove)

Hong Kong Department

2 March, 1970

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