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Following is the transcript of remarks (English portion) made by the Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen, at a media session in response to the Report of the Legislative Council Public Accounts Committee on Direct Subsidy Scheme today (February 16):
Reporter: ... actually scrutinises the governance and finances of the direct subsidy schools. Do you think the Government should have done all these that you have mentioned much earlier?
Secretary for Education: I think the main point is to maintain greater transparency of the operation of the schools. I think you would have heard from our testimony before the PAC that we had given sufficient advice to different schools to perform their different functions. But I think the emphasis now is on compliance and also transparency of information that we will certainly ask the (working) group to look into.
Reporter: You said you take full responsibility over the matter. Will that be in the form of an apology or a resignation?
Secretary for Education: I think it depends on the occasion. I think I have done what I can and I am taking the full responsibility and set up a working group in order to improve the deficiencies.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Issued at HKT 18:05
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