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Univer- sities Bureau for China.
Univer- sity Staff
and the
Inter- change
of Tea- chers.
Chapter IV.
Relation with Chinese Universities.
11. Effectively to co-operate, avoiding over- lapping and competition, full knowledge of the activities of the Chinese Universities is necessary. We are conscious of the present lack of facilities for the exchange of information, and while re- cognizing that the initiative must lie with the Chinese Universities we venture to recommend the establishment of a central Universities' Bureau for China. The Bureau would serve as a centre to collect and disseminate information about Univer- sities, for the discussion of problems of University education in periodical conferences, as an agency for notifying vacancies, especially leave vacancies, and to organize the interchange of University teachers and students. We recognize that such a Bureau can only be established by the Chinese Ministry of Education, but are of opinion that the University of Hong Kong would wish to take an active part in the work of such an institution.
12. Whether or not the Universities Bureau recommended above is established, this University working with the Sino-British Cultural Relations Association and with the suggested Universities Bureau, if it is established, might be a useful clear- ing house for information required in Great Britain about Chinese Universities and for information re- quired in China about British Universities. Delays and difficulties might thus be avoided. At the present time this University might serve usefully as a distributing agency for books and equipment. given in Great Britain to assist the Chinese Univer- sities in their present needs.
13. (i) Co-operation can be furthered in the appointment and interchange of staff. We recommend that the policy of the University should be to utilize on its teaching staff the services of its own selected graduates and graduates of Chinese Universities, after post-graduate train- ing in Great Britain, provided the essentially British character of the University is maintained by the retention of a large British element on the staff. We hope also that the transfer of Chinese staff between Hong Kong and the Chinese univer-
sities will be a not uncommon method of recruit- ment hereafter.
(ii) Interchange of teachers: Exchange of teachers with Chinese Universities is highly desir- able. We are assured that the Sino-British Cultural Relations Association would not only help in arranging such interchange but that it would be willing to supplement the salaries of Chinese scholars who undertake work, for six months, or, better, for a year, in Hong Kong, Responsibility for the costs of travel would be a matter for dis- cussion between the Universities involved in the exchange. Further, the Association would willingly help to make arrangements for members of this University who would wish to spend any portion of their leave in visiting and lecturing at Chinese Universities. For a fuller consideration of these matters and of matters arising out of projects to invite distinguished British scholars to make lecturing tours of the Chinese Universities, includ- ing Hong Kong, a joint committee of this Univer- sity and of the Sino-British Cultural Relations Association would be an obvious agency and we therefore recommend that negotiations to achieve this should be undertaken at once.
14. Any system of interchange of teachers, in order to work, must not be too rigid. In practice it will frequently be impossible to exchange men who teach the same subject. This, no doubt, will be the cause of administrative difficulties; but in spite of these, we are convinced that interchange must be attempted as one of the major means of keeping cordial relations. Even where direct interchange is not possible we strongly recommend that the University make use of the services of such visiting Chinese professors and lecturers as the Sino-British Cultural Relations Association is able to furnish.
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