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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1986
HK-UK AID FOR STUDENTS
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HONG KONG STUDENTS ON FIRST DEGREE AND HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA COURSES IN BRITAIN MAY APPLY FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE UNDER A SCHEME JOINTLY FUNDED BY THE TWO GOVERNMENTS, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, THE HON NEIL HENDERSON SAID TODAY.
REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY DR THE HON CONRAD LAM, MR HENDERSON SAID 1 327 STUDENTS WERE OFFERED GRANTS AVERAGING 2 530 POUNDS STERLING PER STUDENT IN 1984-85.
+ THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF GRANTS APPROVED WAS 3 357 025 POUNDS STERLING, OF WHICH 50 PER CENT IS BORNE BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND 50 PER CENT BY THE UK GOVERNMENT, + HE SAID.
MR HENDERSON SAID THE SCHEME, INTRODUCED IN 1983 AFTER THE INTRODUCTION OF DIFFERENTIAL FEES FOR LOCAL AND OVERSEAS STUDENTS IN BRITAIN, WAS MEANS TESTED.
+IN ADDITION, INTEREST-FREE LOANS ARE IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES MADE AVAILABLE TO HONG KONG STUDENTS PROCEEDING TO UK, HE SAID.
+THESE ARE FUNDED SOLELY BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND IN 1984-85 WERE OFFERED TO 22 APPLICANTS WHO WERE LATE TO QUALIFY FOR GRANTS.+
MR HENDERSON SAID THAT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE IN LONDON ALSO PROVIDED ADVICE AND INFORMATION TO HONG KONG STUDENTS GOING OVERSEAS TO STUDY.
+THE COST OF OPERATING THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE OVERSEAS STUDENTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS SECTION, THE JOINT UK-HK FUNDING SCHEME AND THE STUDENTS DIVISION OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE IN LONDON IN THE CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR IS ABOUT $4.2 MILLION.+
AVAILABLE STATISTICS SHOWED THAT SOME 10 950 HONG KONG SECONDARY OR POST-SECONDARY STUDENTS HAD LEFT TO STUDY IN THE UK, 10 070 HAD LEFT FOR CANADA, 5 990 FOR THE USA AND 1 660 FOR AUSTRALIA IN THE THREE YEARS FROM 1982 TO 1985.
+THESE ARE THE MAJOR DESTINATIONS FOR HONG KONG STUDENTS, ALTHOUGH SMALL NUMBERS ARE KNOWN TO BE STUDYING IN NEW ZEALAND, NETHERLANDS, WEST GERMANY AND ELSEWHERE,+ HE SAID.
HOWEVER, THE ACTUAL NUMBERS STUDYING IN THE MAJOR DESTINATIONS WAS ALMOST CERTAINLY HIGHER THAN THE FIGURES GIVEN, HE SAID.
THE GOVERNMENT, HE POINTED OUT, DID NOT REQUIRE STUDENTS TO ADVISE IT OF THEIR MOVEMENT.
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