XN000022-1978-01-25 — Page 7

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1978

6

POLYTECHNIC BECOMES LARGEST TERTIARY EDUCATION INSTITUTE

******

THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC, WITH A TOTAL STUDENT ENROLMENT OF OVER 25,000, HAS NOW BECOME THE LARGEST TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IN HONG KONG.

THIS WAS STATED TODAY BY THE HON. SIR SZE-YUEN CHUNG IN HIS CAPACITY AS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE POLYTECHNIC WHEN HE TABLED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC ANNUAL REPORT 1976-77.

HE DESCRIBED THE LAST ACADEMIC AND FINANCIAL YEAR OF THE POLYTECHNIC AS +YET ANOTHER YEAR OF EXPANSION OF AN INSTITUTION WHOSE CONTINUING GROWTH RATE SINCE ITS FOUNDATION IN 1972 HAS BEEN QUITE REMARKABLE BY ANY STANDARD+.

THE FULL-TIME STUDENT POPULATION ROSE BY A FURTHER 20 PER CENT TO A TOTAL OF 4,800.

ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A SLIGHT DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ON PART-TIME-DAY-RELEASE AND EVENING COURSES, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ON SPECIAL SHORT-COURSES TAILORED TO THE SPECIFIC AND URGENT NEEDS OF THE INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL SECTORS ALMOST DOUBLED TO A TOTAL OF 6,221, SIR SZE-YUEN SAID..

ON THE PROSPECTS OF THE GRADUATES, SIR SZE-YUEN SAID THE YEAR'S OUTPUT OF STUDENTS WAS WELL RECEIVED BY LOCAL EMPLOYERS,

HE POINTED OUT THAT 77.5 PER CENT OF OVER 1,400 GRADUATES HAD SECURED SUITABLE AND REWARDING+ JOBS IN INDUSTRY, COMMERCE AND THE PUBLIC SERVICES.

ANOTHER 16.5 PER CENT WENT ON TO FURTHER STUDIES, MAINLY WITHIN THE POLYTECHNIC, AND ONLY SIX PER CENT WERE STILL UNEMPLOYED BY OCTOBER LAST YEAR,

REVIEWING THE PROGRESS OF THE POLYTECHNIC'S BUILDING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, SIR SZE-YUEN SAID A NEW COMPLEX TO PROVIDE EXCELLENT SPORTS, SOCIAL AND OTHER STUDENT-FACILITIES, AS WELL AS WORKSHOP SPACES FOR THE NEW INSTITUTE OF TEXTILES AND CLOTHING, WOULD BE READY FOR USE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

THAT ALTHOUGH THE

BUT SIR SZE-YUEN ALSO NOTED POLYTECHNIC'S NEW BUILDINGS WERE VAST AND IMPRESSIVE, THEY WOULD SOON BE OVER-TAXED BY THE LESS IMMEDIATELY-VISIBLE EXPANSION IN STUDENT-NUMBERS+.

J

DEVELOPED

FOR THIS REASON, HE SUGGESTED THAT THE ADJACENT LAND, SET ASIDE FOR LONGER-TERM EXPANSION, WOULD HAVE TO BE DEVELOPED MORE QUICKLY THAN WAS PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT NECESSARY.

/SIR SZE-YUEN ...................