TNAG-0472-FCO40-537-Hong-Kong-government-policy-on-education-1974 — Page 209

PERSONAL: STAFF IN CONFIDENCE

9

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1

A J Scott Esq

Secretary for the Civil Service

Colonial Secretariat HONG KONG

Telephone 01-

Your reference

Our reference

HKK 9/2

Date

5 March 1974

LAST

R&F.

NEXT

REF.

Cis

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

1.

I understand that Miss Deas, the ODA Education Adviser discussed in confidence with the Governor, the Secretary for Social Dervices, and yourself, the question of a successor to John Canning.

2.

She has outlined three alternatives which I believe were agreed with you during her visit. In order of preference these are:

5.

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

A top ranking UK candidate should be appointed as Director. He should preferably be about 50 but an active 55 year old would be considered.

A local administrator (expatriate or Chinese) could become Director. Eric Ho's name was mentioned. He would be supported by a top ranking UK man appointed as professional consultant to the Director (age range 55 to 57). For such a post a really first rate Chief Education Officer from a large Local Education Authority could be considered perhaps one made redundant under the present re-organisation. Alternatively a seconded officer, perhaps of Under- Secretary rank, from the DES, with administrative experience over various areas of education, might be suitable, if the DES could be persuaded to make such a secondment possible.

-

A UK appointment could be made as an extra appointment at Deputy level, with a view to the successful candidate becoming Director later on when he had experience under the local administrator of alternative (ii). A British Deputy Director of about 45 would be about right. The salary would, I gather, be £9,490 after

tax.

We think these proposals are sound. Like you we should prefer the first alternative. I think the next step would be for you to let us have draft advertisements giving full details of the appointment to enable us to set the recruitment wheels in motion.

The

/ODA would

PERSON'T: STAFF IN CONFIDENCE