4
University title for Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong
The Governor-in-Council has approved in principle that the title of the present Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong (OLI) should be changed to "The Open University of Hong Kong" (OUHK), a Government spokesman announced today (Wednesday).
The new English and Chinese titles were proposed by the OLI Council after consultation among the Institute's staff, students and graduates.
"To effect this change in title and other proposed changes to the Institute's internal governance structure, a bill to amend the OLI Ordinance will be submitted to the Executive and Legislative Councils within the current Legislative session," the spokesman said.
He pointed out that the award of university title to the OLI, which had achieved self-accrediting status on 1 October 1996, was a logical step in the light of the experience of the two former Polytechnics and Hong Kong Baptist College, all of which received university titles soon after they were given self-accrediting status.
"As the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation (HKCAA) has confirmed, the OLI is a competent institution of high academic standard and has in place effective mechanisms to assure the quality of its courses, programmes and graduates.
"The Council considers the stage of maturity of the Institute's quality assurance system comparable to that prevailing at the time the two former Polytechnics and Hong Kong Baptist College achieved self-accrediting and eventually university status. The award of university title to the OLI will be an acknowledgement of this comparability.
"Established open universities also recognises the quality of OLI courses. Some have "one for one" credit transfer agreements with the OLI. The change to university title would further assure the Institute's overseas counterparts of its academic standing. Furthermore, the vast majority of institutions offering degree level distance learning courses around the world have university titles."
The spokesman said that like open universities around the world, the OLI and the future OUHK's mission was to make higher education available to all those aspiring to it regardless of previous qualifications, gender or race, in order that working adults might have a second opportunity of further education and self- improvement.