C.S. 166
CONFIDENTIAL
機密
- 7
XCC(76)51
duplication of provision between Upper Sixth Forms and the first year university course which may occur under the present structure. It would still be possible to provide at the University a preliminary year for students from Chinese Middle Schools, or alternatively Upper Sixth Forms could be introduced in Chinese Middle Schools,
17
While the change to a three-year course is probably a necessary development in the longer-term, it could be argued that the next planning period is not an appropriate time for it to be introduced. It would require a further restructuring of the University's courses at a time when it will be coping with the reforms recommended in the Fulton Report for the unification under the University of the various teaching departments located at present in the Colleges and the intro- duction of "student-orientated" teaching in the Colleges. While imple- mentation of this change may help eventually to improve standards, as some of the most able students may be discouraged at present from entering the Chinese University because of the requirement to study for 4 years for a qualification which they could obtain after 3 years at HKU, educational standards may fall in the shorter-term if this change, coinciding with the Fulton reorganisation, were to prove to be more than the University could manage effectively. Informal soundings within the University have confirmed these dangers. Furthermore it is im- portant that any such change should be implemented in a way that would avoid the wide fluctuations in the University's total student enrolment and in the output of graduates that would occur if the change were introduced in one step. This consideration may require the introduction of the 3 year course to be phased over several years in a way that would not allow the first year enrolments to be increased substantially during the planning period.
18
The Government proposes to ask the UPGC to consider with the University the possibility of reducing the 4 year course programme to 3 years and to advise on the time at which this change should be brought about and the method by which it should be implemented. This will probably require a series of consultations with the University authorities and, perhaps, a detailed study of the problems involved. Meantime, planning must proceed for the development of the universities and this will require a target to be given to the UPGC about the total student body to be provided for both universities. Government is pre- pared to accept on a provisional basis the targets recommended by the Working Farty but would wish to review them if it proved to be possible to increase the first year enrolments during this period by introducing a 3 year course programme at CUHK. The provisional target for 1980- 81 would therefore be 10, 330 at both universities (5, 450 at HKU and 4,880 at CUHK). These targets would include all categories of students, except those on extra-mural courses; the establishment of the new Dental and Medical Schools would be included in these totals.
CONFIDENTIAL
機密