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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1982
GOOD CHANCE FOR DEGREE COURSES AT POLYTECHNIC
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A REVIEW PANEL OF THE COUNCIL FOR NATIONAL ACADEMIC AWARDS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM VISITED THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC LAST NOVEMBER TO ASSESS THE POLYTECHNIC'S PROPOSALS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF FIVE NEW DEGREE-COURSES, THE HON S.L. CHEN TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
ALTHOUGH ITS VERDICT WAS STILL AWAITED, HE HAD IT ON GOOD AUTHORITY THAT THE PROGNOSIS WAS GOOD, HE SAID.
SPEAKING AT THE TABLING OF THE NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC FOR THE YEAR ENDED JULY 31, 1981, MR CHEN SAID THE PROPOSED DEGREE-COURSES WERE SUBMITTED, BY INVITATION, THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE.
THESE WERE IN THE AREAS OF APPLIED SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICAL STUDIES, COMPUTING STUDIES, ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, AND SOCIAL WORK.
+BUT WHATEVER THE OUTCOME, IT REFLECTS I THINK GREAT CREDIT UPON THE STAFF OF THE POLYTECHNIC THAT WITHIN THE FIRST DECADE OF THE INSTITUTION'S EXISTENCE AND DESPITE THE PRESSURES UPON THEM TO EXPAND IN QUANTITATIVE TERMS AT A PHENOMENAL SPEED, THEY HAVE NOT ONLY MAINTAINED ACADEMIC STANDARDS BUT IN MANY AREAS HAVE MANAGED TO IMPROVE THEM TO A LEVEL AT WHICH DEGREE-AWARDS ARE A DISTINCTLY VIABLE PROPOSITION, HE SAID.
MR CHEN REPORTED THAT DURING THE YEAR UNDER REVIEW, THE FULL-TIME STUDENT POPULATION OF THE POLYTECHNIC INCREASED BY NINE PER CENT TO 7 400.
THIS IS HIGHER THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S FIVE PER CENT BUT SMALL IN COMPARISON WITH THE EARLIER YEARS WHEN STUDENT INTAKES DOUBLED AND REDOUBLED WITH ALMOST MONOTONOUS FREQUENCY.
HOWEVER, HE POINTED OUT, THE CONSTRAINT OF SPACE AT THE HUNG HOM SITE NOW PREVENTS FURTHER EXPANSION TO ANY SIGNIFICANT EXTENT.
MR CHEN NOTED THAT OVER 76 PER CENT OF LAST YEAR'S 2 409 GRADUATES HAD FOUND SUITABLE EMPLOYMENT, 19 PER CENT HAD UNDERTAKEN FURTHER STUDIES AND ONLY 4.8 PER CENT HAD NOT STARTED WORK ON OCTOBER 31, 1981, THOUGH MANY WERE JUST ABOUT TO DO SO.
+MOST ENCOURAGING IS AN ANALYSIS OF THE STARTING SALARIES OF POLYTECHNIC GRADUATES, WHICH SHOWS THAT THE ANNUAL INCREASE IS RISING FASTER THAN INFLATION,+ HE SAID.
+THIS CLEARLY INDICATES THE INCREASING VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY, IN REAL TERMS, OF THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING WHICH THE POLYTECHNIC OFFERS.-
/MR CHEN