EDUCATION
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Research centres have also been set up in the Chinese University of Hong Kong. There are now centres in the Institute of Social Studies and the Humanities, the Institute of Science and Technology, and the Institute of Chinese Studies. These provide wide-ranging research and training opportunities for staff and students of the university.
Projects in the social studies and humanities field include studies on the impact of urban industrialisation on a Chinese village, the impact of industrialisation on fertility in Hong Kong, Kwun Tong as an industrial community, and the various aspects of Hong Kong's hawkers. They also covered the legal problems of the press in Hong Kong, and the preparation of a series of socio-economic maps of Hong Kong. Science and technology projects include physiological studies on mud-skipper fish, and pollution studies and marine ecology of Tolo Harbour. Chinese studies include the Lin Yutang's Chinese-English Dictionary of Modern Usage, Cantonese as spoken in Hong Kong, a comparative study of frequencies of the vocabulary in Mandarin and Cantonese, and the compilation of a dictionary of spoken Ch'ao-chou dialect.
The Polytechnic
The Polytechnic was formally established on August 1, 1972, taking over the work of the former Hong Kong Technical College. The bulk of the Polytechnic's finances comes from the Hong Kong Government through the University and Poly- technic Grants Committee. The block grant allocated to the Polytechnic for recurrent uses for the period April 1, 1973-July 31, 1974 is about $61.9 million. A grant of £500,000 for library books and teaching equipment has been made by the British Government.
In addition to 25,000 square metres of accommodation taken over from the Technical College, a rented office building in the former Taikoo Dockyard premises at Quarry Bay and a group of one-storey temporary buildings provide teaching and workshop space for the rapidly increasing numbers of students and activities. The planning of a major programme of campus development on a site of about 23.5 acres at Hung Hom is in progress. The first phase of this plan is expected to be com- pleted by the beginning of the academic year 1975-6.
Enrolments at the beginning of the academic year 1973-4 were 2,350 full-time, 1,200 part-time day-release and sandwich, and 11,200 part-time evening students. These compare with the corresponding student numbers of 1,850, 970, and 9,920 in 1972-3. In September 1973, more than 12,800 candidates competed for 1,460 places available for new students in full-time courses. The enrolment target for 1978 is 8,000 full-time and 20,000 part-time students.
During 1973 the number of teaching departments increased from eight to 11— accountancy and management studies; building and surveying; business studies; civil and structural engineering; design; electrical engineering; languages; mathe- matics and science; mechanical, production and marine engineering; nautical studies; and textile industries. Three new departments have been planned for 1974-comput- ing science, electronic engineering, and production and industrial engineering.