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adult education centres to meet the full demand for Form III leavers who are suitable for the courses provided; and to phase out the Junior Secondary Education Assessment (JSEA) by 1991. To help meet these objectives, 10 primary schools, providing 19,200 places mainly in the new towns, and 5 secondary schools providing initially 1,280 Form I and 640/IV places will be

completed in 1985-86.

As regards vocational training

Form

and tertiary

education, an impressive programme is in train. Expansion will continue so that hopefully the apparently insatiable demand will be met in the not too distant future.

Be that as it may,

The Education Commission has made a number of recommendations on the development of education in Hong Kong, the majority of which have been accepted by the Government. The implementation of these recommendations requires financial resources. There is obvious difficulty in making accurate forecasts on the availability of resources, as this is dependent upon the state of the economy. the Commission accepts that under its terms of reference, it would be essential, in the next phase of its work, to review among other things the modes of financing education, including the financing of suggested improvements contained in its No. 1 report to determine all possible options by which these and any future recommendations might be financed. Such recommendations will certainly have an important bearing on the future of our educational system.

Sir, education is expensive. But if we are to maintain the momentum of our growth and to meet the challenges that lie ahead, is there any doubt that our best bet is to put our money on educating the younger and perhaps even the older members of our society?