NG KONG STUDENTS IN BRITAIN
On 1st November, 1979, the Secretary of State for Education and Science made a press statement on fees for overseas students. For first degree courses in UK, fees had been £940 a year. Whilst students already on a course would not be affected, fees for new entrants
for 1980-81 would be increased in order to reduce Govern-
ment subsidy for overseas students:
Universities
Arts
Science
Medicine
Dentistry
Veterinary Science)
(Minimum rate)
£2,000
£3,000
£5,000
Similar increases were announced for Polytechnics and
Colleges of Further Education.
2.
The announcement was made without prior warning. Although students from EEC countries and their dependencies
(which are regarded as departments of Central Government)
are still classified home students, students from Britain's
dependent territories, including Hong Kong, are not.
3.
Hong Kong Government has made many representations
to the UK Government to obtain home student status for Hong
Kong students. The representations have stressed the importance of Hong Kong students continuing to be educated in the UK for
political and economic reasons. For their part the students
feel strongly that the special relationship between Hong Kong
and the UK should mean something in practical terms. The matter is still being considered in Whitehall but the stumbling
block seems to be the £6.2m a year estimated by the Department
of Education and Science to be the UK's "subsidy" for Hong
Kong students.
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