XN000022-1982-03-24 — Page 13

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 1982

THIRD UNIVERSITY NEEDED

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THE TIME IS RIPE FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO SET IN MOTION THE PLANNING OF A THIRD UNIVERSITY FOR HONG KONG, THE HON PETER C. WONG SAID IN THE RESUMED BUDGET DEBATE TODAY.

SINCE IT WOULD TAKE NOT LESS THAN TEN YEARS TO ESTABLISH AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING, A PRELIMINARY PLANNING COMMITTEE SHOULD BE SET UP AS A MATTER OF URGENCY TO STUDY THIS PROPOSAL, HE SAID,

EXPLAINING THE NEED FOR A THIRD UNIVERSITY, MR WONG REMINDED MEMBERS THAT EDUCATIONAL AIMS AT UNIVERSITY LEVEL, INDEED AT ANY LEVEL, SHOULD BE EXPRESSED IN BOTH QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE TERMS.

+QUALITATIVELY, UNIVERSITY EDUCATION SHOULD CONTRIBUTE TO INDIVIDUAL SATISFACTION BY DEVELOPING A STUDENT'S LATENT TALENTS AND ALSO PREPARE HIM, WHETHER MENTALLY, MORALLY OR VOCATIONALLY TO MEET THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS OF SOCIETY.

+QUANTITATIVELY IT SHOULD BE A BASIC RIGHT RATHER THAN THE PRIVILEGE OF THE ELITE CLASS, HE SAID.

+STATED SIMPLY, EVERY STUDENT WHO HAS THE ABILITY SHOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.+

HE POINTED OUT THAT IN 1981 THE PROPORTION OF THE POPULATION EDUCATED AT UNIVERSITY - AT 2.7 PER CENT WAS FAR FROM SATISFACTORY

- AND WAS TRAILING FAR BEHIND MANY COUNTRIES, SUCH AS SINGAPORE.

THE NUMBER OF UNDERGRADUATES REGISTERED AT THE HONG KONG AND CHINESE UNIVERSITIES IN THE SAME YEAR WERE 4 785 AND 4 456 RESPECTIVELY.

IN ADDITION, HE SAID, OVER 10 000 STUDENTS LEAVE HONG KONG ANNUALLY TO SEEK EDUCATION ABROAD AND IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS STUDYING IN OVERSEA UNIVERSITIES IS ROUGHLY EQUAL TO THE NUMBER EDUCATED LOCALLY.

MR WONG CITED STATISTICS TO SHOW THE ACUTE SHORTAGE OF UNIVERSITY PLACES:

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OF THE 8 407 STUDENTS WHO MANAGED TO ATTAIN THE MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS OF THE HONG KONG UNIVERSITY IN 1981, 5 723 APPLIED FOR PLACES AT THE UNIVERSITY, BUT ONLY 1 483 OR LESS THAN 26 PER CENT, WERE SUCCESSFUL.

OF THE 4 429 STUDENTS WHO FULFILLED THE ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY IN 1981, ONLY 1 115 WERE ADMITTED,

THEREFORE, OUT OF A TOTAL OF 12 836 STUDENTS WHO PASSED THE ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS OF THE TWO UNIVERSITIES, ONLY 2 598 WERE ADMITTED, LEAVING THE OVERALL SHORTAGE OF UNIVERSITY PLACES IN THE ORDER OF SOME 10 238.

ALTHOUGH IT IS