TNAG-0251-FCO40-287-Education-policy-of-government-of-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 19

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Thursday, October 1, 1970

wothholding their children from primary education, the family's circumstances

would be investigated, and arrangements made for the child to attend school

for such period, and in such a manner, as best suited the family's circumstances.

"Should the parents prove unwilling to accept such arrangements, the

courts would be empowered to make an order enforcing thom, subject of course

to the Court being satisfied that these arrangements were as good as could

be devised in the interests of both the child and the family as a whole,"

the Governor said.

Ho regretted he saw no early prospect of compulsory public contributions

to provide for future benefits such as old-age pensions, sickness, and

survivorship. The opposition to anything of this kind in the circumstances

of the Colony would be too great.

Interlocking Social Services

If Hong Kong was going to provide protection against these contingencies,

it would have to strike out into almost wholly new methods, since the

experience of others elsewhere would not apply. Nor had the nature of any

solutions that might be suitable locally yet revealed itself.

A now pattern of interlocking social services was beginning to merge,

but the Governor stressed it was "only a beginning."

with consolidation of the primary-

Taking the educational task alone

school lovel the Government was also planning at least three years of aided

post-primary education for all children it was seldom realised about one-

quarter of the whole population was undergoing courses of instruction of one

kind or another.

/of the

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