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THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1991
BY RETENTION, HE REFERRED TO SUCH SCHEME AS THE BRITISH NATIONALITY PACKAGE BY WHICH THE GOVERNMENT AIMED TO GIVE HONG KONG'S KEY YOUNG TALENT THE REASSURANCE THEY NEEDED TO STAY IN HONG KONG THROUGH THE TRANSITJON PERIOD.
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INDEED
"WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO STOP THE BRAIN DRAIN COMPLETELY WE ARE COMMITTED TO MAINTAINING FREEDOM OF TRAVEL BUT WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO STEM THE FLOW, HE SAID.
T
BY PRODUCTION, SIR DAVID SAID HE MEANT EXPANDING AND IMPROVING HONG KONG'S EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES.
"SADLY, AT THE TIME WHEN WE NEED THEM MOST, MANY OF OUR BEST AND BRIGHTEST ARE LOOKING FOR THE ASSURANCE OF FOREIGN TRAVEL DOCUMENTS AND LEAVING HONG KONG IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THEM.
THE
"THIS IS THE ONE REASON WHY WE ARE SEEKING SO RAPIDLY TO EXPAND PROVISION OF TERTIARY EDUCATION," HE ADDED.
AT PRESENT, SIR DAVID POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG PROVIDED ABOUT 7,100 FIRST-YEAR, FIRST-DEGREE PLACES, SUFFICIENT TO COVER ABOUT EIGHT PER CENT OF THE RELEVANT AGE GROUP.
"WE
AIM TO DOUBLE THIS TO 15,000 PLACES BY 1994-95 SO THAT WE CAN CATER FOR NO LESS THAN 18 PER CENT OF THE RELEVANT AGE GROUP, HE SAID.
THE CHIEF SECRETARY NOTED THAT AMONGST THE CRITICS OF THE GOVERNMENT'S EDUCATION STRATEGY, THERE WERE NOT A FEW WHO ARGUED THAT IT WAS WRONG ΤΟ ACCORD PRIORITY ΤΟ THE EXPANSION OF TERTIARY EDUCATION.
'TO THOSE WHO SAY IT CANNOT BE DONE, I NOW SAY THAT WE CAN AND WILL ACHIEVE THOSE TARGETS. TO THOSE WHO SAY WE ARE PURSUING TARGETS IN THE WRONG SECTOR OF EDUCATION, I SAY THAT IT IS BARELY ENOUGH, HE SAID.
EVEN WITH A DOUBLING OF THE PROVISION OF FIRST DEGREE PLACES, SIR DAVID SAID HONG KONG WOULD CONTINUE то BE DEPENDENT TO A CONSIDERABLE EXTENT ON THE OVERSEAS SUPPLY OF GRADUATES.
"SO FAR WE HAVE BEEN LUCKY. NO FEWER THAN 90 PER CENT OF ALL OUR STUDENTS WHO GRADUATE OVERSEAS HAVE BEEN RETURNING TO HONG KONG.
"IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, SOME 16,000 HAVE RETURNED AND ANOTHER 54,000 ARE EXPECTED TO DO SO BETWEEN NOW AND 1996.
"THIS CERTAINLY HELPS TO MEET OUR NEEDS, BUT IT IS ALSO CLEARLY
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A MEASURE OF OUR VULNERABILITY, HE SAID.
THE THIRD PRONG OF THE GOVERNMENT'S 'STRATEGY - ATTRACTION MEANT LOOKING ABROAD FOR ANY SHORTFALL IN EITHER NUMBERS OR QUALITY, SIR DAVID SAID.
HE POINTED OUT THAT TRUE TO HONG KONG'S FREE MARKET ECONOMIC PHILOSOPHY, THE GOVERNMENT WAS HAPPY FOR EMPLOYERS WHO COULD NOT FIND THE RIGHT SKILLS LOCALLY TO LOOK FOR THEM OVERSEAS.
/"OUR IMMIGRATION