CO129-594-3 Rehabilitation of Hong Kong University. For extracted photographs see CN 3-45- Advisory Committee- minutes of... 18-1-1946 - 9-4-1946 — Page 40

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Overseas Chinese students came to Hong Kong University.

29.21

Mr. Sloss said the real reason why Overseas Chinese students came to Hong Kong was their lack of Chinese. The homing instinct of the Overseas Chinese was enormous, and if they had enough Chinese to get any benefit whatever out of Chinese universities they went to them, but those who had not enough Mandarin to follow the lectures went to Hong Kong.

First,

3012

Dr. Priestley expressed the view that the Committee's consideration should be in three stages. a general discussion on the long-term policy; secondly, discussion on the short-term requirements; lastly, a final decision about long-term policy. He was strongly of opinion that one of the mistakes that had been made in the past had been the grant of the status of university to institutions which did not rest on broadly based faculties of arts and science. It was all wrong to call an institution a university because it had a good medical school. He thought that the Committee ought to consider this question first, because if they decided that the University should serve the needs of the Colony only, they might need to think of it in terms of separate medical school, teachers' training college, etc.

37.13

The Chairman asked the meeting whether for this purpose they would like further data to be obtained from Hong Kong as to the number of students, type of background,

present condition of the buildings, position as regards equipment, etc. It might take time to obtain these details and the Committee might feel that it would be an advantage if someone could be flown out to look into the position on the spot and report before any final decision was taken.

3224 Mr. N.L. Smith raised the question of the

matrículation standard, which he said was very high before the Japanese abolished the teaching of English for three years.

33815 Mr. Sloss said that when the Colony collapsed every encouragement was given to students to go to Free China. About 500 went. Each one was given a statement of what he had done in the University and such recommendations as would facilitate the admission of the students to Chinese universities. The Japanese threatened the University authorities, but the job was done. The escape of

Dr. Gordon King, the Dean of the Medical School, had been contrived in order that he could go to China to take charge of these students and get them placed. 350 of them continued their courses, and 300 completed them out of the 500 who went. The arrangements were made at very considerable risk, but as the figures showed, the majority of the students took advantage of them.

F.

During the whole of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong there was nothing but very elementary vernacular education. The two main Government schools on the Island were completely destroyed and they have not been able to be brought into use. The chief Government school on the mainland was still an R.A.F. hospital. The chief missionary- aided school secondary school was in the possession of the military authorities. One school alone had been opened as a co-educational school. In the internment camp matriculation examinations w ere held. The pups were

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