TNAG-1073-FCO40-1323-Policy-of-the-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-including-1981 — Page 381

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Language in education

(1) A final and definitive decision must be taken on the

question of the language to be used as the medium

of instruction in Forms I III of Anglo-Chinese

schools;

(m) the time is right to consider the teaching of Mandarin,

to put Hong Kong in the mainstream of Chinese cultural

and economic development.

Moral education, school curriculum and juvenile crime

(n) A concern for character development should become

a major objective in education in accordance with

the Chinese concept of education which accepts that

correct behaviour and attitudes could and should be

inculcated and with the simple fundamental requirement

that education must produce good citizens;

(o) the modernisation of Hong Kong is eroding the family

system and forcing it to undergo certain structural

and functional transformations: the resulting

problems could be tackled more effectively if there

was better co-ordination between the various

government departments responsible for providing

services for children;

(p) there is insufficient manpower available to provide

social work services for schoolchildren: the Student

Guidance Officers are not professional social workers;

(q) there is a problem of psychological strain on young

people unable to cope with the rigid academic curriculum

and the pressure of examinations: the fault for the