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Sir, subject to the advice of the Executive

Council on the setting up of the Chinese Language

Foundation which I confirm will be sought very shortly,

I hope a start can be made this year to the preparation

of textbooks and teaching materials written in Chinese

for use by schools as soon as possible.

The Government is not, as has been suggested,

indifferent to the question of the medium of instruction

in secondary schools, nor is it reluctant to provide

direction for the future. Indeed, the opposite is the

case for subject to the outcome of the various research

studies on the effect of different media of instruction

. on students, the Government has accepted various

positive recommendations by the Commission to encourage

secondary schoools to teach their junior students in the

mother tongue. This is a practical and pragmatic

approach, advocated by the Panel of Visitors, and

supported by Mrs Selina Chow and Mr Yeung Po-kwan.

Mr Alex Wu supported the teaching of putonghua

in schools. Mrs Rita Fan suggested that putonghua Lessons should be included in every school as part of

the formal school curriculum. The Government will

certainly encourage this but, in line with traditional

policy of curriculum freedom, will leave the decision to

individual schools. As the Director of Education said in