TNAG-0795-FCO40-999-Policy-of-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-1978 — Page 159

13. Conclusion

13.1

The programme outlined in this Green Paper will continue the expansion and improvement of subsidised education, to which the Hong Kong Government has already devoted much of its resources and energy over recent years. There will be a substantial increase in the number of subsidised places at all the main levels within the ambit of this programme and the effect of this increase on the opportunities available will be enhanced by the decline in the population. Resources will be provided to maintain and improve the quality of education as well as to provide for the increase in places. The nature of the opportunities will be sufficiently diversified to meet the needs of students of different aptitudes and inclinations and to encourage a good proportion of students to take different types of courses from the traditionally "academic".

13.2

Over the coming decade there will be a heavy increase in the public funds devoted to education, as noted in Chapter 12. However, the Government believes that the public would wish education to continue to have a large share of the budget. Education carries a high esteem in Hong Kong society and a high proportion of young people will probably continue to seek opportunities to remain in formal education for long after the minimum age of entry to employment. In these circumstances it is desirable that the facilities available should be the best that the community can afford.

13.3 There are dangers in the expansion of education, especially if this were to occur too rapidly or if excessively high expectations were made about its results. Frequently, in both developed and developing countries, it has produced a "qualifications spiral", whereby education becomes dominated by qualification-earning, often for qualifications that bear little relationship to the skills required in the jobs to which they lead. Thus the education process becomes extended unnecessarily and entry to employment becomes unduly delayed. these considerations in mind, emphasis has been placed in the proposals in this Green Paper on the development of part-time educational opportunities as an alternative to full-time

courses.

13.4

Any assumption that increased expenditure on education is of itself sufficient to provide for economic growth is not borne out by experience overseas.

Yet the Government believes

With

47