EDUCATION
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The college is fulfilling a distinctive role within the local spectrum of institutions of higher education, and its goal is to educate students to become well-balanced in academic achievement, professional competence and character development. Its three-year post- Advanced Level courses provide a broad-based vocational or professional education with liberal education as a complement. These courses currently lead to the award of the honours diploma and are offered in 17 disciplines. In September, two degree course proposals were submitted, through the UPGC, to the UK Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) for academic validation. These courses, the Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Combined Sciences and Bachelor of Social Work, are targetted to begin in September 1986. In December, the college received the CNAA validation team for the Combined Sciences course. Other degree course proposals discussed with the UPGC during the year included Management Studies and Communication.
There are four faculties: Arts (with departments of Chinese language and literature, English language and literature, music and fine arts, and religion and philosophy); Business (with departments of accounting, business management, economics, and secretarial man- agement); Science and Engineering (with departments of biology, chemistry, civil engineer- ing, mathematics, and physics); and Social Sciences (with departments of communication, geography, history, social work, and sociology). In addition, the language centre, compu- ting studies unit and athletics unit provide service teaching to students from all disciplines. All students are full-time and admitted on the results of the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination. Demand for places is high and for the 1985-6 academic year there were eight applicants for every available place.
At the end of the 1984-5 academic year, 593 students graduated with the honours diploma. The phasing out of the Basic Studies Programme was also completed on schedule. This two-year programme, started in 1979, prepared students to sit the Hong Kong Advanced Level or the International Baccalaureate Examination. Its discontinuation, with the exception of a specialised course in music which enrols 70 students, is part of the plan to concentrate on degree and honours diploma work.
In October, the total full-time student enrolment in the four faculties was 2 197, with a breakdown of: arts 397, business 649, science 420, and social sciences 731. The teaching staff strength stood at 176, and the majority of the teaching staff hold higher degrees from overseas institutions. Senior academic and administrative staff are recruited through international advertisement.
In addition to the full-time enrolment, the college maintains an active Division of Continuing Education, providing a broad spectrum of courses to meet the needs of people in employment. Most courses are held in the evenings, and some lead to professional qualifications. The division is financially self-supporting and besides using the campus for evening classes, it also maintains five off-campus centres. There were 30 689 students enrolled in 1 213 courses during the year, taught by 1 091 part-time teaching staff.
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As part of the staff development programme, the college encourages its staff to engage in research work and to offer consultancy services to the community. The Fong Shu Chuen Library, completed in 1983, gives support to staff research and the academic work of students. During the year, the library holdings expanded to 141 588 volumes, and the installation of a fully integrated automation system - the first of its kind in Hong Kong - was completed. There is a collection of materials to support research work on contempor- ary China. The college maintains close links with the community and local and overseas institutions. There are course advisory committees with members drawn from the community and a rapidly expanding programme of exchange activities with institutions in China.