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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1994
GOVERNOR: I THINK THAT THE UPGC'S REPORT IN ADVOCATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE IN OUR TERTIARY SECTOR SEES A DETERMINATION OF GRANT ALLOCATION, NOT SOLELY THROUGH QUANTITY BUT THROUGH QUALITY AS WELL, AND QUALITY IS BEST ASSESSED I THINK BY PEER GROUP REVIEW. I DON'T THINK GOVERNMENT IS IN A VERY GOOD POSITION, OR CENTRAL ADMINISTRATORS TO DETERMINE THE QUALITY OF RESEARCH. I THINK THAT IS BEST DONE BY OTHER ACADEMIC SPECIALISTS IN THE FIELD. THE HONOURABLE MEMBER HAS OF COURSE TOUCHED ON AN AREA WHICH IS OF SOME CONCERN TO US.
WE ARE EXPANDING OUR TERTIARY SECTOR VERY RAPIDLY, THOUGH NOT I UNDERLINE AT THE EXPENSE OF EDUCATION ELSEWHERE. I THINK IT IS RIGHT FOR US TO DO THAT. IT DOES HAVE COSTS; IT ALSO HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE POST-GRADUATE SECTOR, AND IN PARTICULAR FOR RESEARCH AND RESEARCH FUNDING. WE HAVE INCREASED RESEARCH FUNDING FROM $100 MILLION IN 1991/92 TO ABOUT $210 MILLION IN THIS FINANCIAL YEAR SO THAT I HOPE THAT WE WILL SEE THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF MORE POST-GRADUATES' RESEARCH IN HONG KONG AND THE BROADER THE BASE OF POST-GRADUATE RESEARCH THE HIGHER THE QUALITY THAT RESEARCH WILL ATTAIN.
MR PANG CHUN-HOI (THROUGH INTERPRETER): REGARDING THE EMPLOYEES RETRAINING SCHEME, AND THIS IS MUCH NEEDED BY OUR WORKERS.. JUST NOW YOU SAID THAT OVER 10,000 PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY JOINED THE RETRAINING PROGRAMMES BUT ACCORDING TO THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, IN REPLY TO A QUESTION FROM ME IN MARCH CONCERNING ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE. CONCERNING THE RETRAINEES, FOR THOSE WHO ARE SUCCESSFULLY RE-EMPLOYED THE PERCENTAGE IS ONLY 21%, AND THIS IS A VERY LOW PERCENTAGE. SO I HOPE THE GOVERNOR CAN TELL THIS COUNCIL, WILL
GOVERNMENT TAKE FURTHER MEASURES то INCREASE JOB SEEKING COUNSELLING SO THAT THE RETRAINEES CAN BE EVEN MORE SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING RE-EMPLOYMENT?
GOVERNOR:
IN
ARE
YES WE CERTAINLY INTEND TO ENCOURAGE AND DEVELOP JOB SEEKING COUNSELLING. THAT IS ONE OF OUR PROPOSALS WITH, FOR EXAMPLE INTERVIEWING OF THOSE WHO ARE UNSUCCESSFUL IN LOOKING FOR JOBS AFTER BEING RETRAINED. I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THE FIGURE I'M ABOUT TO GIVE IS ON ALL FOURS WITH THE FIGURE WHICH I DIDN'T RECOGNISE WHICH THE HONOURABLE MEMBER HAD BEEN GIVEN PREVIOUSLY. I BELIEVE I'M RIGHT SAYING THAT 70% OF THOSE WHO GO THROUGH OUR RETRAINING PROGRAMMES PLACED SUBSEQUENTLY IN JOBS AND THAT IS I THINK AN ENCOURAGING FIGURE, THOUGH NOT AS GOOD AS I WOULD LIKE IT TO BE. I THINK THAT'S THE OVERALL FIGURE AFTER THE TRAINING OF THE FIRST, AS IT WERE. OR RETRAINING OF THE FIRST 12,500. BY OCTOBER, WE THINK THE FIGURE WILL BE MORE THAN 15,000. IF WE'RE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT DIFFERENT PARAMETERS FOR OUR FIGURES, IF AS IT WERE, WE'RE HEADING UP DIFFERENT ROADS THEN PERHAPS WE CAN SORT OUT THE POSITION LATER ON, BUT I DO THINK THAT THE 70% FIGURE THAT I'VE GIVEN IS AN ACCURATE ONE.
MR PANG CHUN-HOI (THROUGH INTERPRETER); MR GOVERNOR, I QUOTED THE FIGURE GIVEN TO ME BY THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR.
GAVE FIGURE TO
ME IN MARCH AND HE SAID THAT FOR THE RETRAINEES SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING EMPLOYMENT THE FIGURE WAS ONLY 21%. REPLY GIVEN TO ME FROM THE ADMINISTRATION IN MARCH.
HE
WHO THAT WAS
THAT WERE
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/GOVERNOR: