XN000022-1981-03-25 — Page 9

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MR WU WAS COMMENTING ON THE VALUES OF OVERSEAS POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION, PARTICULARLY UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN BRITAIN, AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEETING.

+ IN PRACTICAL TERMS, HE SAID, THERE WILL BE DISCIPLINES, PARTICULARLY IN THE SCIENCES, WHERE OUR INTERESTS MAY BE VITAL BUT NOT WIDESPREAD AND CERTAINLY NOT ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A FULL COURSE.

+ IN THESE FIELDS WE RELY ON EXPERTISE FROM ABROAD OR ON HONG KONG GRADUATES WHO HAVE STUDIED THESE SUBJECTS ABROAD AND HAVE RETURNED TO HONG KONG TO PRACTISE.

+ IN A BROADER EDUCATIONAL SENSE IT WOULD BE UNREASONABLE AND DANGEROUS TO PRETEND THAT WE COULD CUT OURSELVES OFF FROM SOME DEGREE OF RELIANCE ON OVERSEAS EDUCATION.+

HE NOTED THAT THERE WAS A DROP OF 42 PER CENT OF HONG KONG STUDENTS IN BRITAIN LAST YEAR COMPARED WITH 1979.

QUOTING STATISTICS FROM THE HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, MR WU SAID THE BIG DROP SEEMED TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDIES, DOWN FROM 1 617 TO 836, AND IN THE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS STUDYING FOR '0' AND 'A' LEVEL GENERAL CERTIFICATES OF EDUCATION, DOWN FROM 1 420 IN 1979 TO 715 LAST YEAR.

THE NUMBER OF FIRST DEGREE STUDENTS WAS ALSO DOWN, FROM 651 IN 1979 TO 389 IN 1980, ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A SLIGHT INCREASE IN POST-GRADUATE STUDENTS, FROM 183 TO 188.

+WE MAY BE DISMAYED BY THE EVIDENCE THAT BRITAIN IS 'DISTANCING' HERSELF FROM HONG KONG TO USE THE FASHIONABLE JARGON - IN SOME IMPORTANT DIMENSIONS, OF WHICH STUDENT FEES ARE ONLY ONE.

+BUT WE SHOULD NOT CONFUSE THE EXPEDIENT WITH THE FUNDAMENTAL. +

HE POINTED OUT THAT WHAT BRITAIN DID ABOUT EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION, HOW BRITAIN BEHAVED IN TRADE NEGOTIATION, EVEN HOW BRITAIN ARRANGED HER NATIONALITY AND IMMIGRATION AFFAIRS, COULD NOT BE LUMPED TOGETHER AS EVIDENCE OF A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRITAIN AND HONG KONG.

THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF SUCH A CHANGE AND IT IS IMPORTANT FOR HONG KONG THAT WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE REAL MOTIVES OF BRITISH POLICIES, THE PROBLEMS WHICH BRITAIN FACES AND THE OPTIONS WHICH ARE OPEN TO HER POLITICIANS.

WITHOUT SUCH AN UNDERSTANDING, HE SAID, WE MAY FAIL TO IDENTIFY THE REALITIES OF BRITAIN'S COMMITMENT TO HONG KONG.

*FOR THESE REASONS, WE SHOULD REGARD STUDY IN BRITAIN AS SOMETHING TO BE ENCOURAGED.

+THERE ARE MORE PRACTICAL REASONS. IN SPITE OF RISING FEES, AND CONSIDERING OUR OBVIOUS ABILITY TO SUBSIDISE OUR STUDENTS IF WE HAVE TO, BRITISH UNIVERSITIES STILL PROVIDE THE EDUCATION WHICH

IS MOST APPROPRIATE TO MANY OF OUR ACTIVITIES AND INSTITUTIONS.

*EVEN IF THIS ENCOURAGEMENT GOES NO FURTHER THAN LOANS TO STUDENTS THERE IS A CASE FOR EVALUATING THEIR COURSES OF STUDY TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS AN OPTIMUM RETURN FOR THE COMMUNITY, MR NL SAID.