TNAG-1735-FCO40-2448-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 30

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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL-25 May 1988

SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER: Sir, a survey was conducte relation to similar methods adopted in the north-western New Territories and did come to the conclusion that the quality of education was not affected. Whether you call it objective or subjective, people do these things as objectively as they can but there is obviously an element of subjective judgement involved.

MR. ANDREW WONG: Sir, I might be the culprit because I asked the original question on 3 June 1987. May I refer to the Secretary's answer when he says, 'assuming that the population projections are accurate.' May I ask what sort of population projections is the Secretary relying on in terms of total population for the New Territories East by 1991, and the Form I population by 1991?

In answering the original question Mr. Michelangelo PAGLIARI said that 12 new schools would be built by 1993. Mr. BRIDGE is saying that seven new schools will be completed by September 1991. May I ask why only seven and not 12? And is the Government prepared to build only seven schools by 1991 and then five schools within the following two years from 1991 to 1993?

SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER: The population projections, on which the figures I have given have been based, are the old ones, before the '86 bi-census. We are about to analyse the bi-census figures and as I said, we will take them into account in further building beyond 1992.

The 12 schools referred to in Mike PAGLIARI's reply were intended to be built for completion after 1992. It referred to a proposal which we were then considering to try to persuade existing schools from areas of surplus in the urban area to move to the New Territories. As to the number of new schools we shall need to build for the period after 1992, we will review now in the light of the latest bi-census figures and decide how many schools are needed after we have analysed the figures.

MRS. NG (in Cantonese): Sir, may I refer to paragraphs 1 and 2 of the answer; that is, there will be an increase of floating classes within existing schools. I would like to know how many classrooms are there in existing schools and how many floating classes are there in each school? Will the extra floating classes be additional burdens to existing schools?

SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER: Sir, for a three-year period the existing 30-class schools will have 31 classes; one additional floating class for a period of three years is now planned.

MR. ANDREW WONG: Sir, may I go back to my original question and ask what are the existing projections for 1991 in terms of total population for New Territories East, and for Form I places in New Territories East? Is the Government prepared to have a certain percentage of these Form I students going out of the New Territories East to attend schools in Kowloon?

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