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It would be out of place for me, after a short visit, to advance any firm opinion as to the future of the University, either as regards site or in regard to the varied aspects of its academic activities, As this Committee's report has been put forward the best plan now will be for the Committee to be asked to report further on future development in the light of the present situation. In re-constituting such a Committee it would, however, be advantage ous for members to be included with experience of Higher Education and University
activities outside Hong Kong. A further argument for re-constituting such a Committee is the fact that, since their report was issued, the asquith Commission on Higher Education in the Colonies has put forward various recommendations, a number of which will doubtless have a bearing on future development of the Hong Kong school.
in their future deliberations, the Committee would not only take into account local development but also the recommendations of the Asquith Commission.
Thus,
There should be no question about the general policy of maintaining and improving Higher Medical education in Hong Kong. with the abolishment of the International Settlement in Shanghai, Hong Kong remains the sole bastion of British culture in this part of the world, and it is vitally importeat, not only that University teaching should continue, but that the standard of teaching should be kept at the highest level and the status of the University improved,
It is of first importance to reinstitute teaching at the earliest possible moment. it the time of invasion there was en approximate total of 600 students belonging to all the faculties of the
University. Out of this no fewer than 346 succeeded in making their way into Free China and many of them were able to continue their studies in Universitica there. Some twenty three medical students completed their studies and graduated in Medicine but a large number of students, some 180, are recorded as continuing their studies at various Universities in China. · These should be enabled to return to Hong Kong and provision made for a limited number of fresh undergraduates.
While in the circumstances, it would be presumptive for me to express any fixed opinion about the lines of future development, it does not seem out of place to record briefly, as I see them some of the arguments for and against the transfer of the University to another site. The handicaps of building on the side of hill rising some hundreds of feet from the lowest level of the site are apparent; the advantage in building on a moderately level site where expansion can be freely undertaken without heavy work on the site itself is obvious.
There is also the point put forward by the Committee that, by retaining the University on its present site, town development is being nindered. This is true; there is an urgent need for expansion of the urban area of Victoria and one direction of expansion must be towards the present University site. Another advantage would be the provision of good athletic fields for the students. Further, much of the accommodation provided in the present buildings is rapidly becoming inadequate; not only so but existing buildings are often incapable of expansion. This is noticeable in the case of the building which houses the schools of Anatomy and Physiology where the building is incapable of expansions either upwards or laterally; upwards because the existing structure will not support another story and laterally because the site is too
/cramped.