TNAG-1361-FCO40-1807-Hong-Kong-Hansard-reports-and-minutes-of-the-meetings-of-the-1985 — Page 332

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The aim of post-F 3 education is to further the

personal development of students, to groom them for their

responsibilities in society, to prepare them for higher

education and for employment, and not just to, I quote, "keep

them out of the streets".

Because of the difference in standard between

government/aided schools and the majority of private schools, the pressure upon students is unlikely to ease much by the purchase of F 4-5 places from the private sector because

parents and students would still wish to gain a place in a

satisfactory school.

The third point raised is that the cost required to

purchase places from private secondary schools is estimated at

$70 million per year, an insignificant amount compared with the

current annual expenditure on education.

The fact is that the $70 million estimates is based on

the assumption that 30,000 F 4-5 places will need to be bought

each year.

However, on the basis of the August 1984 population

projection produced by Census and Statistics, the number of places required to be bought is as follows:

1985-86

21010

$ 59.5 million

1986-87

40480

$114.6

"I

1987-88

36960

$104.6

10

1988-89

33240

$ 94.1

11

1989-90

28215

$ 79.9

"

1990-91

1991-92

16275

$ 46.1

3810

$ 10.8

#

$509.6 million

The fourth point is that the introduction of another

means to allocate children to F 4/craft places upon the abolition of the JSEA will cause unnecessary strain to students.