TNAG-0658-FCO40-807-Policy-of-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-1977 — Page 126

C.S. 166

XCC(77)46

CONFIDENTIAL # 2

機密

Copy No .. Page 12 of 13

34

of 80

This

Report would be preparatory to the issue of a Green Paper. would be much shorter than the Working Party's Report and, as a document for public consumption, would be written in a very different vein, with the aim of presenting the proposals for further expansion and for improvements in quality in the most favourable political terms. Nonetheless, publication of the Green Paper may be expected to lead to criticism in some quarters that Government is not doing enough to expand education. There is already a vociferous lobby which advocates that Government should provide every student with five years of subsidised secondary education. While public pressure for the expansion of higher education and the post-secondary colleges is probably less, these institutions have expectations of large-scale expansion and the managers of the registered post-secondary colleges seek a rapid development of their college with substantial and in- creasing help from public funds. Accordingly, while emphasising the growth that will be provided under its proposals, and the considerable cost to public funds as noted in Appendix 2 to the Report, the Green Paper should stress also the dangers of allowing publicly-subvented institutions to compete with each other over the limited pool of students with the requisite ability for their courses, and of more mediocre standards developing in consequence of the overprovision of places, and also the economic consequences of delaying students' entry to employment.

27

It is proposed that, as mention of a possible Green Paper was made in the Governor's last address to the Legislative Council, the Green Paper should be issued by this coming October. It is thought appropriate that the findings and proposals in the Report should be kept under review for the remainder of the year, taking account of the views expressed on the Green Paper by educationalists and by the public. It is hoped to have the assistance of a UK expert when under- taking this review. Government intends thereafter to present revised proposals for the development of senior secondary and tertiary education in a White Paper, which will be submitted to Honourable Members early next year with a view to being presented in the Legislative Council in about March. Accordingly, no commitment would be taken at the present time regarding the proposals in the Working Party's Report.

Conclusion

28

(a)

Honourable Members are invited:

to note the findings and recommendations in the Report of the Working Party on Senior Secondary and Tertiary Education (paragraphs 6-23);

CONFIDENTIAL #