have accepted the need for bi-lingualism, and that in Hong Kong, 1974 will be the first year of the combined Certificate of Education in which candidates may select to be examined in either English or Chinese.
18. In our view, the early years of secondary education should be based on a common core of instruction, whether it be in a five-year course school, an asymmetrical school or a pre-vocational school. All schools should include practical subjects which allow the pupils to use their hands and acquire manipulative ability, without necessarily emphasizing craft skills. The use of Chinese as the medium of instruc- tion in all lower forms at post-primary level will contribute to making available a sufficiency of time for the introduction of subjects of a more practical character. In the second year of post-primary education, more significant pupil differences will gradually emerge. In the pre-vocational schools in which the aim is to provide adequate workshops and other facilities to study technology through practical skills more time for these subjects will appear on the second year time-tables. We also consider that the secondary technical schools should be similar to the pre- vocational schools in this respect. We would like to see similar facilities provided in the secondary technical schools for the study of technology to those intended for the pre-vocational schools. Technical subjects should be taught as science based technological subjects and not as craft skills. There should be strong resemblances between the 2nd year of the prevocational schools and the 2nd year of the secondary technical schools. These resemblances should extend into the 3rd year. It is in this way that the transfer from prevocational to secondary technical schools will be made a smooth process for those so gifted. This should help to mitigate the effects of the selection procedures which occur at the end of the primary stage.
19. We have been charged with the responsibility of advising on the proportion of academic to vocational secondary education appropriate in the circumstances of Hong Kong. We find ourselves obliged to recognize the dangers of seeking to determine a precise proportion between academic and vocational types of schools; we need to bear in mind the reasonable aspirations of parents for their children and the constantly changing economic and social context in which education takes place in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, we equally recognize the need to make recommendations on this matter in order to set initial targets for planning purposes. We note the general tenor of representations received and the considerable degree of imbalance which at present
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