EDUCATION
Close links are maintained with universities abroad, through individuals and de- partments, as well as through the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the Association of South-east Asian Institutes of Higher Learning. Academic staff are recruited by international advertisement.
Degrees awarded by the University are recognised internationally, and for the pro- fessional disciplines, specialists from major bodies in the United Kingdom and other countries are invited regularly to review and advise on academic developments. Qualifica- tions for graduates have become prerequisites for admission to professional practice in fields such as architecture, dentistry, engineering, law, medicine, psychology, social work, quantity surveying and urban planning.
New academic developments are undertaken in close consultation with the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee, as well as relevant government departments and other agencies, such as the Education and Manpower Branch of the Government Secretariat, the Environmental Protection Department, the Social Welfare Department, and the Industry Development Board. Close contact enables the university to plan new initiatives in direct response to specific community and manpower needs. Two new interdisciplinary programmes, one in environmental life science leading to the Bachelor of Science degree and another in Japanese Studies leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree, were introduced in the 1990-91 academic year. In response to the government's proposal of accelerated expansion for tertiary education, announced in October 1989, the university has planned to offer a range of new undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the 1990s for its student population which is expected to grow to 11 500 by the middle of the decade.
To keep pace with academic developments and increasing student numbers, the university is undergoing substantial physical redevelopment. Following the 1989 opening of the K K Leung Building, a 20-storey academic building on the main estate, an extension to the main library is due for completion by the end of 1990.
Accommodation is currently provided by the university for about 25 per cent of its undergraduate students. There are seven residential halls and two non-residential halls. Two additional 400-place halls of residence are planned, and a 150-place hall for 'on- call' clinical students is also to be built. A number of postgraduate students and academic visitors to the university can be accommodated at the Robert Black College on the main estate. Three student amenities centres provide study, recreational and restaurant facilities for those students who are unable to obtain a place in a hall of residence.
The University Main Library, with its collection of over a million printed volumes, is one of the best equipped in South-east Asia, and includes a unique and invaluable collection of Chinese works. There are other specialist libraries located in the Faculties of Dentistry, Education, Law, Medicine and in the Department of Music. The university also has its own publisher and bindery. The Fung Ping Shan Museum situated in Bonham Road, is a university museum open to the public on weekdays. The museum's collections are chiefly Chinese paintings, ceramics and bronzes dating back to the third millenium BC.
Apart from the regular student enrolment, the university offers about 1 500 courses to some further 36000 students each year through its Department of Extra-Mural Studies. The department teaches numerous courses in a wide range of disciplines, some of which are at the Certificate/Diploma level. It also offers programmes leading to degree, post- graduate and professional qualifications. Most students attend courses at the end of the working day at the Extra-Mural Studies Town Centre or the university campus.
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