TNAG-1729-FCO40-2442-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 117

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Speech by the Hon R G B Bridge, OBE, JP Secretary for Education and Manpower

in the Legislative Council on Wednesday 4 May 1988

Budget Debate

SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER:

Sir

Education

General

In your speech at the opening of this session you

pointed out that education is a vital element in economic

and social progress. Your view is clearly shared by many

speakers in the current debate.

の

x.

Those speaking on higher education have tended to

emphasize the need to continue our present

to continue our present rapid expansion.

Those speaking on the school system have put more emphasis

on quality, suggesting specific areas where they would like

to see improvements. This reflects the position on the

ground. In the tertiary sector, in spite of our rapid

growth there is still a large unmet demand. In much of the

school sector we now have sufficient places and are in a

better position to concentrate оп improving quality.

However we do still suffer from a problem of imbalance.

tend to have too many places in the older urban areas, too

few in the rapidly developing new towns. One of our first

priorities must be to correct

correct this imbalance. As you said

in October, we hope to complete 80 new schools by 1993 and

most of these will be in the areas of greatest need.

We