- 6-
to the government on the programmes and the funds necessary to finance
them.
The government does not see the universities' or the Polytechnic's
budgets, nor does the UPGC necessarily give detailed reasons for all of
its recommendations. The Director of Audit has access to the books and
records of the universities and the Polytechnic and may formally report
on them. Day-to-day liaison between the UPGC and the government is
normally with the Secretary for Social Services, who ensures that higher
education policy is consistent with other areas of policy likely to
affect (or be affected by) its development. Current membership of the
UPGC is shown at appendix I.
3.8
The Secretary for Social Services has a co-ordinating role in
the development of mutually re-inforcing policies such as those embodied
in labour and education legislation, a prime example being the provision
of courses in the technical institutes (under the control of the Director
of Education) for apprentices in trades designated according to the
provisions of the Appenticeship Ordinance (under the control of the
Commissioner for Labour). The development of administrative systems drawing
upon the expertise of more than one government department is also
Ma
facilitated by this role
guidance officers of the Education Department are able to refer particularly
difficult or complex cases to professional social workers in the Social
Welfare Department. In areas such as these there is a great deal of day-
to-day liaison between the officers most closely concerned in the various
departments.
for example, the system by which student
3.9
The Director of Education's main fields of operation are those
covered by the two ordinances which charge him with specific responsibilities,
and of the two the Education Ordinance, together with the Education
Regulations, is undoubtedly the more widely embracing in its ambit,
covering (save for the exceptions already noted) every school in the