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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 1979
GRANTS COMMITTEE
STRIKING A DIFFICULT BALANCE ******
THE UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE HAS TO HOLD A DIFFICULT BALANCE BETWEEN ITS OBLIGATIONS TO THE TWO UNIVERSITIES AND THE POLYTECHNIC AND TO THE GOVERNMENT, THE HON. JOHN BREMRIDGE SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
HE SAID THE COMMITTEE, BESIDES BEING CLOSELY CONCERNED WITH COSTS, IS ALSO CONCERNED THAT NO ONE SHOULD THINK +THE EDUCATION WE NEED CAN BY SOME SORT OF MAGIC BE OBTAINED MORE EASILY, AND MORE CHEAPLY, IN HONG KONG THAN ANYWHERE ELSE.+
MR. BREMRIDGE, CHAIRMAN OF THE GRANTS COMMITTEE, SAID THIS IN TABLING THE SIXTH BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE.
HE EXPLAINED THAT THERE ARE NO CHEAP AND EASY ROUTES TO GOOD EDUCATION: STANDARDS HAVE TO BE PAID FOR. GIVEN SOUND AND ECONOMICAL MANAGEMENT IN THE FIRST PLACE, RADICALLY REDUCED COSTS WILL MEAN RADICALLY DIFFERENT AND LOWER STANDARDS.+
WHILE HE DID NOT THINK THE UPGC HAS PRESSED THE THREE INSTITUTIONS TOO CLOSELY TO KEEP COSTS DOWN, HE BELIEVED THAT FOR THE TIME BEING THE COMMITTEE PROBABLY HAS GONE AS FAR AS IS REASONABLE.
HE WAS CONCERNED AT THE LEAPING CAPITAL COSTS OF THE MAJOR NEW BUILDING PROGRAMME AT THE HONG KONG UNIVERSITY WHICH REFLECTED NOT ONLY THE KNOWN ESCALATION IN BUILDING COSTS BUT ALSO THE VERY DIFFICULT SITES MADE AVAILABLE TO THE UNIVERSITY BY THE GOVERNMENT.
HE SAID THERE MUST ALWAYS BE A FAIR, EVEN IF NOT GENEROUS, PROVISION FOR TRUE LEARNING AND RESEARCH, THE END PRODUCTS OF WHICH CANNOT BE QUANTIFIED BY A COST ACCOUNTANT.
THE UPGC REPORT COVERS A MAJOR ISSUE OF GREAT COMPLEXITY AFFECTING ALL THE THREE INSTITUTIONS THE DEVELOPMENT OF FACILITIES FOR ADDITIONAL MEDICAL EDUCATION, FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF DENTAL EDUCATION AND FOR A LARGE EXPANSION OF PARA-MEDICAL AND PARA-DENTAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING,
MR. BREMRIDGE NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT THE PRICE OF THIS +STIMULATING BOOKLET+ HAS BEEN SET AT A SURPRISING $38.
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