XN000022-1990-12-08 — Page 2

TERTIARY EDUCATION SUPPORT

NEEDED FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT: FS

HONG KONG'S CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AS A MEANS OF INCREASING ITS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS WILL NEED TO BE SUPPORTED BY THE TERTIARY EDUCATION SECTOR, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, SIR PIERS JACOBS, SAID TODAY (SATURDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE GRADUATION CEREMONY OF SHUE YAN COLLEGE THIS POLYTECHNICS WERE A AFTERNOON, SIR PIERS SAID THE UNIVERSITIES MAJOR SOURCE OF HIGHLY SKILLED PEOPLE AND THEY PROVIDED ALSO A SOURCE OF RESEARCH EXPERTISE.

HE SAID THAT AS THE ECONOMY BECAME MORE DEMAND FOR SUCH PEOPLE WOULD GROW.

SOPHISTICATED,

THE

"TERTIARY LEVEL GRADUATES IN HONG KONG IN 1990 ARE ENTERING THE JOB MARKET IN AN ECONOMY WHICH IS FAR MORE TECHNOLOGICALLY SOPHISTICATED THAN IT WAS 10 YEARS AGO," SIR PIERS SAID.

"THAT IS WHY THE GOVERNMENT HAS EMBARKED ON A MASSIVE

IS EXPANSION OF HIGHER EDUCATION. THE INTENTION

THAT BY 1994/1995, THE RELEVANT AGE THERE WILL BE FIRST PLACES FOR SOME 18 PER CENT OF GROUP COMPARED WITH SEVEN PER CENT TODAY,' HE ADDED.

17

"THIS EXPANSION WILL BE ACHIEVED WITHOUT ANY LOSS QUALITY. MUCH OF IT WILL BE IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS-RELATED WHICH ADMITS SUBJECTS. THE NEW UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, ITS FIRST BATCH OF STUDENTS IN 1991, WILL BE AN IMPORTANT OF PLACES IN THESE FIELDS, HE ADDED.

NEW SOURCE

"THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RESEARCH CAPABILITY IN THE UNIVERSITIES

WITH SECTOR

A POOL AND POLYTECHNICS WILL PROVIDE THE

CAPABILITY TALENT FOR UNDERTAKING APPLIED RESEARCH. THAT RESEARCH NOW BEING BUILT," SIR PIERS SAID.

BUSINESS

OF IS

THAT HE POINTED OUT

IN ADDITION ΤΟ THE GROWTH IN PUBLIC

SECTOR WAS FUNDING FOR RESEARCH, THE PRIVATE

FUNDING A NUMBER OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE INITIATIVES IN COMMERCIALLY RELATED RESEARCH AND UNIVERSITIES.

"FOR

TWO EXAMPLE,

BIOTECHNOLOGY INSTITUTES HAVE BEEN AND ESTABLISHED IN THE HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

$300 MILLION THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, WITH A DONATION OF FROM THE ROYAL HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB.

OF

MADE A GRANT

"ALSO, HONG KONG TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED HAS US$13 MILLION TO THE HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TO ESTABLISH THE HONG KONG

OF TELECOM INSTITUTE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.

AND

"THE INSTITUTE WILL CONDUCT RESEARCH INTO TELECOMMUNICATIONS, CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS, ELECTRONIC DEVICES, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SATELLITE AND SPACE COMMUNICATIONS,

"

HE SAID.

/SIR PIERS