XN000022-1974-11-07 — Page 7

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THURSVAT, NOVEMBER

TWO SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS VISIT H.K. POLYTECHNIC

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WORK HAS BEGUN ON LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR A NEW BUILDING WHICH WILL TRANSFORM THE CAMPUS OF THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC AT HUNG HOM.

PHASE 1 OF THE PROJECT CALLS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF FIVE WINGS OF A MULTI-PURPOSE TEACHING AREA AND A LIERARY BUILDING.

THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE POLYTECHNIC, DR. Y.K, CHING, SAID TODAY THAT IT WAS HOPED TO CALL TENDERS FOR THE SUPERSTRUCTURE NEXT MONTH WITH THE WORK BEGINNING EARLY IN THE NEW YEAR.

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PHASE I, WHICH IS COSTING SOME 90 MILLION DOLLARS, IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE SUMMER OF 1976.

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ONCE IT IS OPENED, THE POLYTECHNIC WILL BE CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING AN ENROLMENT OF 6,000 FULL-TIME DAY STUDENTS. THE LIBRARY BUILDING WILL HAVE ROOM FOR 400,000 BOOKS AND STUDY SPACES FOR SOME 3,000 STUDENTS.

MEANWHILE, THE ENROLMENT AT THE POLYTECHNIC IS CONTINUING TO INCREASE. AT THE OPENING OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR LAST MONTH THE TOTAL ENROLMENT FOR FULL-TIME DAY STUDENTS WAS 3,111 AND THERE VERE ANOTHER 1,455 DAY RELEASE STUDENTS WHO ATTEND THE POLYTECHNIC ONCE A WEEK. ABOUT 13,000 STUDENTS ARE ENROLLED IN THE EVENING COURSES.

DR. CHING SAID THAT THIS REPRESENTED AN INCREASE OF ALMOST 30 PER CENT IN FULL-TIME STUDENTS AND THE EVENING ENROLMENT HAS INCREASED BY ABOUT 2,000 STUDENTS.

OF THE 14 DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE POLYTECHNIC, THE BIGGEST, IN TERMS OF NUMBERS, CONTINUES TO BE THE TEXTILE DEPARTMENT WHICH RUNS COURSES ON TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY, TEXTILE CHEMISTRY AND CLOTHING TECHNOLOGY. THE ENROLMENT FOR THE DEPARTMENT STOOD AT 500 FULL-TIME AND DAY RELEASE STUDENTS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH.

BUT THE MOST REMARKABLE EXPANSION HAS OCCURRED IN THE COMMERCIAL FIELD SUCH AS ACCOUNTANCY AND BUSINESS STUDIES. THE ACCOUNTANCY DEPARTMENT WHICH HAD ABOUT 100 STUDENTS IN 1972 NOW HAS AN ENROLMENT OF 420 STUDENTS WHILE THE BUSINESS STUDIES DEPARTMENT WHICH WAS SET UP ONLY LAST YEAR NOW HAS ALMOST 500 FULL-TIME STUDENTS.

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THIS MORNING, THE DEPUTY COLONIAL SECRETARY, MR. MICHAEL CLINTON, AND THE SECRETARY FOR SOCIAL SERVICES, MR. LI FOOK-KOW, SPENT SEVERAL HOURS VISITING THE POLYTECHNIC AND TOURING THE CAMPUS TO SEE THE DEVELOPMENT TAKING PLACE AND MEET SOME OF THE STUDENTS.

NOTE TO EDITORS COPIES OF A PHOTOGRAPH

COPIES OF A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE VISIT WILL BE DISTRIBUTED SEPARATELY IN PRESS BOXES THIS

EVENING.