WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1980
16
GOVERNMENT WILL PRESS CASE FOR HK STUDENTS IN UK
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THE SECRETARY FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, THE HON ERIC HO TODAY ASSURED THAT HONG KONG WOULD CONTINUE TO PRESS ITS CASE ON THE STATUS OF HONG KONG STUDENTS PURSUING STUDIES IN UK ALTHOUGH +WE HAVE LOST OUT FOR THE CURRENT ACADEMIC YEAR+.
SPEAKING IN THE DEBATE ON THE GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MR HO SAID HE SHARED THE HON ALEX WU'S REGRET THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD NOT DISTINGUISHED BETWEEN STUDENTS FROM DEPENDENT TERRITORIES FROM OTHER OVERSEAS STUDENTS IN THE IR REVISED FEE CHARGING POLICY COMMENCING THIS AUTUMN, PARTICULARLY AS SOME FOREIGN STUDENTS WERE GRANTED HOME STUDENT STATUS.
HOWEVER HE NOTED THAT THE STRONG REPRESENTATIONS MADE BY THE GOVERNMENT TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS HAD BEEN RECEIVED WITH SYMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING.
MR HO SAID IT WOULD NOT BE EASY TO DETERMINE THE PRECISE EFFECT OF THE HIGHER FEES ON NEW ADMISSIONS AS THE EXACT NUMBERS OF HONG KONG STUDENTS TAKING DEGREE COURSES IN BRITISH UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNICS OR ELSEWHERE WERE NOT AVAILABLE.
WITH THE CHANGE IN CLASS IF ICATION IN STATUS FROM HOME+ TO +OVERSEAS+, WITH EFFECT FROM SEPTEMBER 1980, OF HONG KONG STUDENTS WHO HAD BEEN ATTENDING UK SCHOOLS FOR THREE YEARS OR MORE BEFORE UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE, BRITISH STATISTICS MAY WELL SHOW LITTLE CHANGE, OR EVEN AN INCREASE IN NEW ADMISSIONS OF HONG KONG STUDENTS TO BRITISH UNIVERSITIES THIS AUTUMN.
HOWEVER, THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED BY THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT FOR UK STUDENT VISAS IN RESPECT OF FIRST DEGREE COURSES FOR THE FIRST TEN MONTHS OF 1980 SHOW A DROP OF 256, OR 39 PER CENT FROM THE FIGURE FOR THE CORRESPOND ING PERIOD OF LAST YEAR, MR HO SAID.
+THIS REDUCTION IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS PROCEEDING TO BRITAIN IS ROUGHLY OFFSET BY A PROPORTIONAL INCREASE IN STUDENT VISA APPLICATIONS FOR PLACES IN NORTH AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS, HE ADDED.
MR HO SAID WHAT WAS APPARENTLY HAPPENING WAS A SIGNIFICANT MOVE AWAY FROM UK TO CANADA AND USA AND IF THIS TREND CONTINUED IN THE LONGER TERM IT COULD ONLY MEAN A FURTHER WEAKENING OF OUR LINKS WITH UK.
COMMENTING ON OTHER POINTS RAISED BY UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS ON HIGHER EDUCATION, MR HO SAID WHILE A REVIEW OF POST-SECONDARY AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION WAS ORDERED BY THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL, THE UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC CRANTS COMMITTEE (UPGC) WAS ASKED AT THE SAME TIME TO WORK ON A FOUR PER CENT ANNUAL GROWTH RATE IN UNIVERSITY PLACES FOR THE 1981/84 TRIENNIUM AND TO ADVISE ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS IN TERMS OF RESOURCES.
THE UPGC WAS ALSO ASKED TO ASSUME THIS FOUR PER CENT GROWTH RATE FOR THE 1984/87 TRIENNIUM. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN AN INCREASE OF OVER 700 UNIVERSITY PLACES EY THE 1986/87 ACADEMIC YEAR.
/+IT MILL