C.S. 166
CONFIDENTIAL # 2
機密
XCC(76)51
- €
The
year of this quadrennium, will be brought down to 5% per annum. Working Party was hesitant about recommending a lower rate of ex- pansion, as this would probably lead to criticism from the public, which has been accustomed to increased opportunities for entry to higher education.
15
The student number targets recommended by the Working Party for the academic year 1980-81 would give a combined first year population of about 3, 000, assuming a symmetrical structure, or roughly 450 more first year places than in 1977-78. The Government accepts this order of growth for the first year places but questions whether all of this growth need come about by increasing the total university student population in the way suggested by the Working Party. In making its recommendation that the greater part of this growth should take place at HKU, the Working Party was aware that some capital expenditure would be required at HKU in order to accommodate the larger student body but it was unaware of the extent of these capital requirements. The UPGC has now estimated that the University's capital requirements on the basis of a continued 7% annual growth rate would be over $200 million in the period up to 1983-84, with about $130 million occurring by 1980-81, though some of this expenditure would be required even if there were no growth beyond the 1977-78 targets, for example to remedy an existing deficiency in space standards in the engineering department. The Working Party was aware also that unit costs per graduate were 30% more at CUHK than at HKU but this is mainly attributable to CUHK having a 4-year undergraduate programme. The Working Party did not consider whether this programme might be reduced to 3-year indeed, the Working Party did not have the ex- pertise to make a recommendation on whether such a change should be brought about. It is however desirable that the option should be con- sidered, as it would create about 350 additional first-year places, probably without requiring any significant capital or additional recurrent expenditure.
16
-
To reduce its undergraduate programme from 4 to 3 years would be a major step for the University to take. However, it is a deve- lopment which ought to be considered at some stage, in view of certain trends in the structure of secondary education. It has been noted in paragraph € above that the Chinese Middle Schools, which traditionally provide only one sixth form year and for whose students the 4 year course was designed, are now a small and declining part of secondary education. The University does not keep statistics on the educational background of its students but Secretary UPGC believes that of the present intake to CUHK approximately 70% have completed Upper Sixth or come from Lower Sixth Forms in schools which have Upper Sixth Forms. The introduction of a 3 year course at CUHK would thus avoid an apparent
CONFIDENTIAL
機密