TNAG-1727-FCO40-2440-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 35

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That only 0.03 per cent of the educational provision this. year is being

earmarked for this purpose reflects to me a lack of enthusiasm and will

for the policy. The fact of the matter is, conversion has only taken place when 'spare capacity has been identified in schools, where the students body may have shrunk as a result of student migration from

older districts to newer ones. If this is allowed to continue as the

only cause for conversion, it may aggravate the misconception which

some already exists amongst the parents that the whole-day system is the less desirable system. [The time has come for more positive action to be taken in the implementation of this very worthwhile policy, and I

hope a timetable will be drawn up for it very soon.

Sir, I must confess I was going to take the Government to task over. the apparent delay in the upgrading of the quality private schools private schools

from which Government continues to buy places. However, information

that has come to light in the last two days has not only eased my

mind considerably, but has convinced me that current Government

thinking is indeed along the right lines, both in terms of the improvement of the quality of education to be offered by private schools, as well as the opportunity for parental choice to be exercised freely. But as long as Government continues to buy places from some private schools, the most urgent task remains to be the narrowing of the gap between these private schools and schools in the public sector. In my view, we need not have waited and should have initiated action before now. Action in this area in no way preempts, and therefore

needs not be held back by the consideration of the wider issue of the ultimate complementary modes of school education. I urge, therefore, 28 that as much should be done as soon as possible in this respect.

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Sir, in the midst of all the good work being achieved by the Administra- tion over the years,I am always prepared to be understanding about the need to arrange things according to priorities. But it is difficult sometimes to see how priorities are drawn up. Issues, such as whole- day school, get buried, but perhaps because of the lack of public demand. Some of them, such as the private school issue, get delayed, perhaps because it is difficult for the bureaucratic machinery to feel