ENG-1983 — Page 39

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EDUCATION AT THE CROSSROADS

economy. To do this, is there a case for adjusting the ratio of craft to technician courses? In the light of the strong demand for full-time, as opposed to part-time, education in Hong Kong, should there be more full-time courses offered by the technical institutes and fewer part-time day release courses? Is the current apprenticeship system the most appropriate in Hong Kong's circumstances? Will the training courses offered now continue to be relevant in a few years' time? If not, where should the emphasis be placed? These are some of the questions under examination at present in order to make the most of the educational and training opportunities available.

The Task Ahead

As might be expected, public response to the Llewellyn Report touched on a number of the themes and questions posed by the government at the outset of the review. The immediate task ahead is for the Administration to analyse the public comments on the Llewellyn Report before approaching the Executive Council for a decision. Altogether, a total of 554 comments were made by 305 individuals and organisations, including the district boards and education interest groups which took a great interest in the report. The comments received included 176 written submissions, 266 news reports and comments given in forums, seminars, speeches, etc., and 112 educational editorials or feature articles, totalling 2 280 pages! The recommendations in the report most commented on were:

(a) the setting up of an education commission;

(b) the use of the mother tongue as the language of instruction;

(c) abolition of the Junior Secondary Education Assessment (JSEA);

(d) making kindergartens a part of the aided sector of education;

(e) __more and better training for kindergarten teachers;

(f) more resources for training of teachers;

(g) subsidised post-compulsory education up to Form V for all who want it; and (h) expansion of study opportunities at degree and higher technician level. Views were generally in favour of considerable development in education, broadly in line with the panel's recommendations. On a number of issues, the submissions agreed in principle with the panel, but had different views on how their objectives should be achieved. Unofficial Legislative Councillors themselves contributed a very lively debate in the proceedings of the Legislative Council on July 13, 1983, on the motion:

'That this Council receives with approbation the report A Perspective on Education in Hong Kong and comments to the Government as a basis on which continuing improve- ment of education in Hong Kong should be implemented.'

A total of 14 Unofficial members spoke and a remarkable degree of consensus was achieved on the general principles which received their support. These were summarised by the Revd the Hon P. T. McGovern in his speech in which he conveyed the 'Twenty-four points of our collective wisdom' to the government. The Official members of the council gave their support to the motion once it was clear that the motion was not intended to exclude consideration of all the other public consultation which was then proceeding or to imply that the report was to be the only basis for the formulation of policy.

This wide-ranging and stimulating debate covered many aspects of education and its review with members paying particular attention to the language of instruction, teacher training, the planning and administration of education, the future of the JSEA, the need to bring kindergarten education more into the system, the entry to tertiary education institu- tions, the financing of education, and the phasing out of bought places. It would be difficult to summarise the debate briefly here but the spirit of it was well encapsulated by the Revd the Hon Joyce Bennett in her opening remarks: