XN000022-1989-12-01 — Page 9

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1,

1989

8

EXPANSION OF HIGHER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES TO

MEET ECONOMY'S NEEDS

THE GOVERNMENT IS PLANNING A MASSIVE EXPANSION OF HIGHER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES IN RECOGNITION OF THE URGENT NEED FOR MORE WELL-EDUCATED YOUNG PEOPLE TO WORK IN OUR MATURING ECONOMY, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, SIR PIERS JACOBS, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).

"ALTHOUGH THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT-FINANCED INSTITUTIONS IN THIS EXERCISE WILL OBVIOUSLY BE IMPORTANT, THE NEED TO EXPAND HIGHER EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE SEEN MERELY AS A NEED TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF OUR TRADITIONAL UNIVERSITIES," HE SAID.

SPEAKING AT THE EIGHTH GRADUATION CEREMONY OF THE HANG SENG SCHOOL OF COMMERCE, SIR PIERS POINTED OUT THAT POST-SECONDARY COURSES ORIENTATED TOWARDS BUSINESS, INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE WOULD BE AT A PREMIUM IN THE 1990'S.

THE

"IN HONG KONG'S ECONOMY, WE HAVE WITNESSED SHIFTS WITHIN BOTH MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE INDUSTRIES

INTO

MORE AND PROCESSES, HE

KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE AND SOPHISTICATED OPERATIONS

SAID.

..

THIS HAD LED TO THE GOVERNMENT'S MAJOR INITIATIVE IN EDUCATION STRATEGY, HE SAID. POINTING OUT THAT THE PROVISION OF PRACTICAL TRAINING IN RESPONSE TO THE DEMAND FOR EDUCATION FOR THE WORLD OF COMMERCE WAS ALSO ESSENTIAL,.

"AND THE HANG SENG SCHOOL IS AN UNDOUBTED LEADER IN THIS FIELD. OF THE 2,000 STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN AWARDED THE SCHOOL'S DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS STUDIES, MOST ARE NOW SERVING IN VARIOUS AREAS OF HONG KONG'S COMMERCIAL SECTOR.

"SOME HAVE MOVED RAPIDLY ΤΟ SUPERVISORY AND MANAGEMENT

POSITIONS.

"OTHERS HAVE SPECIALISED IN FINANCE, ACCOUNTING, TRADING OR FOREIGN EXCHANGE, OR IN MARKETING AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH. ALL GIVING HONG KONG GREATER STRENGTH AND DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE,

門 HE SAID.

A GOOD INDICATION OF THE SCHOOL'S SUCCESS, SIR PIERS SAID. WAS THE NUMBER OF ITS GRADUATES WHO PROCEEDED TO MORE ADVANCED STUDIES, BOTH IN HONG KONG AND OVERSEAS.

HE SAID MANY OF THE SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS SENT BY THE SCHOOL FOR FURTHER STUDY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM HAD BEEN AWARDED HONOURS IN THEIR DEGREE COURSES.

FURTHERMORE. SOME HAD GONE ON TO TAKE

AN EXAMPLE OF

PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITIES,

ACHIEVEMENT BUT OF THE INTERNATIONALISM WHICH KONG'S LONG TERM SUCCESS. HE SAID.

UP HIGHER DEGREES IN NOT JUST ACADEMIC WAS THE KEY TO HONG

THE SCHOOL