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THURSDAY, JULY 6, 1978
ACCORDINGLY MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SENDING THEIR CHILDREN ABROAD AND MANY MORE WHO CANNOT AFFORD IT HAVE HAD TO SUFFER THE FRUSTRATION OF KNOWING THAT THEIR CHILDREN WILL NEVER BENEFIT FROM A UNIVERSITY EDUCATION EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE THE NECESSARY INTELLIGENCE TO DO SO. MOREOVER, THE RECENT DRAMATIC INCREASE IN EDUCATIONAL COSTS ABROAD CAN ONLY INCREASE THE NUMBER OF THOSE WHO WILL BE DENIED UNIVERSITY EDUCATION ON FINANCIAL GROUNDS.
+QUITE APART FROM THE OBVIOUS MORAL ISSUES INVOLVED, IT IS UNHEALTHY FOR ANY SOCIETY TO HAVE AN INCREASINGLY LARGE NUMBER OF FRUSTRATED AND INTELLIGENT PEOPLE WHO CAN SEE THAT GOVERNMENT AND QUASI-GOVERNMENT IN RECENT YEARS HAVE IMPORTED VAST NUMBERS FROM OVERSEAS ON ACCOUNT OF THEIR HIGHER QUALIFICATIONS AND WHO KNOW THAT GIVEN THE CHANCE MANY LOCALLY COULD EASILY HAVE ACQUIRED SIMILAR QUALIFICATIONS, HE SAID.
ONE SOLUTION IS TO REMOVE THE PRESENT STATUTORY PROHIBITION AGAINST THE GRANTING OF DEGREES, AND THERE ARE THREE BASIC ARGUMENTS AGAINST THIS:
* IT WOULD RESULT IN LOWERING OF STANDARDS WHICH WOULD
BE BAD EDUCATIONALLY-
* IT MIGHT TEND TO DEPRECIATE THE COINAGE OF A DEGREE
GRANTED BY A GOOD LOCAL UNIVERSITY- AND
* OUR SOCIETY NEEDS MANY MORE PEOPLE TRAINED IN HIGH
TECHNOLOGY THAN HOLDING GENERAL DEGREES.
AGAINST THESE THREE ARGUMENTS, MR. LO REASONED THAT:
*
*
PERMISSION TO GRANT DEGREES, IF ANYTHING, MUST TEND TO IMPROVE THE STANDARD OF TEACHING AND FACILITIES OF POST-SECONDARY ESTABLISHMENTS, RATHER THAN THE OPPOSITE=
WE COULD ADOPT THE AMERICAN SYSTEM OF ACCREDITING CERTAIN UNIVERSITIES OR CERTAIN COURSES WITHIN A UNIVERSITY SO THAT THE GENERAL COINAGE OF A DEGREE WOULD NOT BE DEPRECIATED BESIDES DEPRECIATING THE COINAGE IS NO BAD THING IF IT ACTS AS A BRAKE ON OUR BRAIN-DRAIN, AND
* WE CAN HAVE MORE DEGREES FOR HIGH TECHNOLOGY INDEED IF THE ORIGINAL ARGUMENT IS TO BE PAID MORE THAN LIP SERVICE, THE POLYTECHNIC ORDINANCE SHOULD NOW HAVE BEEN AMENDED TO PERMIT THE POLYTECHNIC TO GRANT DEGREES.
MR. LO SAID THAT BY A NUMBER OF ORDINANCES, THE GOVERNMENT HAS GRASPED WIDE POWERS IN ORDER SEVERELY TO CONTROL THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ANY PLACE OF LEARNING AND SEVERELY TO RESTRICT THE RIGHT TO GRANT DEGREES. HE THOUGHT IT IS WRONG EDUCATIONALLY AND UNWISE POLITICALLY TO MAINTAIN THIS POSITION OF CONTROL WITHOUT HAVING THE WILL OR THE ABILITY TO EXERCISE IT PROPERLY.
+THE ADMINISTRATION MUST SELECT ONE OF TWO OPTIONS: IF IT INTENDS TO RETAIN THE STRANGLEHOLD THAT IT HAS ON EDUCATION THEN IT MUST REDOUBLE ITS EFFORTS AND DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE ITS PERFORMANCE. OTHERWISE IT SHOULD REDUCE CONTROL.+
HE WARNED: +ANY OUTDATED SYSTEM WHICH PREVENTS A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF INTELLIGENT PEOPLE FROM FULLY DEVELOPING THE IR TALENTS AND ABILITY WILL BUILD UP UNCONTROLLABLE PRESSURES WHICH ARE SOCIALLY DISRUPTIVE.+
MR. ALEX TU