TNAG-0482-FCO40-547-Diplomatic-reports-from-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Ho-1974 — Page 46

UNCLASSIFIED

SOCIAL PROGRAMMES IN HONG KONG

Education

1. A report by the Board of Education on the expansion of secondary education in Hong Kong was published as a Green Paper in October 1973. The Government is now preparing a White Paper setting out Government policy for the next decade.

2. The Green Paper's main ten year aim is a minimum of 3 years secondary education up to the age of 14 for all children in Hong Kong and 5 years' secondary schooling up to 16 for 40 per cent of children in the age group. The interim target is places for 80 per cent of the 12-14 year old age group by 1981, and sufficient five year places for 36 per cent of the 12-16 age group. There are also plans to provide for the tripling of tertiary education by 1978.

Medical and Health Services

3. A report by the Medical Development Committee on the development of medical and health services up to 1983, was tabled in Legislative Council on 31 October 1973. When the recommendations in the report have been fully considered, a development programme will be laid before Executive and Legislative Councils.

4.

The major projects in the report are:-

i) a target of 5.5 hospital beds per 1,000 population

by 1983 (at present there are 4.1 beds per 1,000 population); ii) to help achieve this target, 4 new hospitals, strategically

placed in areas of growing density, together with further development of assistant hospitals, are to be built; iii) new training facilities are to be provided for dentists

and dental nurses;

iv) more training facilities for doctors, general and

psychiatric nurses;

UNCLASSIFIED

/v)