XN000022-1992-10-16 — Page 8

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1992

GOVERNOR:

POINTED

KONG BY

I ANSWERED YOUR SECOND QUESTION EARLIER WHEN I OUT THAT YOU ARE NOT REDUCING THE STOCK OF HOUSING IN HONG SELLING SOME OF IT, BY SELLING SOME FLATS TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THEM, BECAUSE THEY GO ON LIVING IN THEM EVEN IF THEY WERE TENANTS. ON THE FIRST POINT, THE LOWER YOU REDUCE THE PRICE FOR THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME, THE FEWER THE NUMBER OF HOMES THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY PROVIDE THROUGH IT, BECAUSE YOU WON'T BE GETTING AS MUCH BACK FROM THOSE WHO COME INTO THE SCHEME, BUT YOU ARE ENTIRELY RIGHT TO SAY THAT WE HAVE то MAKE, FOR THOSE WHO WANT IT, THE LADDER INTO HOME OWNERSHIP AN EASIER ONE TO CLIMB WHILE, AT THE SAME TIME, PROVIDING A VERY LARGE PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAMME FOR THOSE WHO NEED TO RENT.

QUESTION:

TO

I WOULD LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION ON TERTIARY COLLEGES. IT IS VERY GOOD THAT YOU WANT MORE PEOPLE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY RECEIVE TERTIARY EDUCATION, BUT HAVE YOU CONSIDERED WHETHER THE RESOURCES OF HONG KONG CAN COPE WITH THE EXPANSION? FOR MY COLLEGE, THE CLASSROOMS ARE FILLED AND SOME OF THE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE A SEAT. IT'S THE SAME FOR THE CANTEEN. IT'S ALWAYS FULL AND IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND A TABLE. I THOUGHT THIS ONLY HAPPENED IN MY COLLEGE BUT WHEN I TALKED TO MY FRIENDS, I FIND THAT THIS IS VERY COMMON FOR ALL THE TERTIARY COLLEGES.

WHEN YOU DESIGN YOUR TERTIARY EDUCATION BLUEPRINT, WILL YOU PAY ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT THE RESOURCES SHOULD BE IN-KEEPING WITH THE EXPANSION RATE?

GOVERNOR:

50,

WE ARE, AS YOU SAID, EXPANDING TERTIARY EDUCATION VERY RAPIDLY. A LOT OF THE SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS WHO ADVISE ME WERE HERE IN UNIVERSITY IN HONG KONG 20, 25 YEARS AGO, WHEN YOU COULD LITERALLY COUNT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE GOING INTO TERTIARY EDUCATION HERE IN HUNDREDS. NOW, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT 14,000, 15,000 AND WE ARE MOVING TOWARDS A SITUATION IN WHICH ALMOST ONE IN FIVE OF THE 17 TO 20 YEAR OLD AGE GROUP WILL BE IN TERTIARY EDUCATION.

+

THAT

HAS MEANS

BUT I

NOW, YOU'RE QUITE RIGHT TO SAY THAT CONSEQUENCES FOR THE BUILDINGS IN THE TERTIARY SECTOR AND THAT THAT WE HAVE TO GO ON WITH A LARGE CAPITAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMME, AM SURE YOU'D AGREE WITH ME THAT IF WE WERE TO SAY TO YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE QUALIFIED TO GO TO TERTIARY EDUCATION, 'I'M NOT SURE YOU CAN GO THIS YEAR BECAUSE THE CANTEENS ARE OVER-CROWDED, THEY'D GIVE US A PRETTY DUSTY REPLY. BUT I WILL TELL YOU WHAT I THINK IS AN EVEN MORE IMPORTANT RESULT OF THE EXPANSION OF TERTIARY EDUCATION AND, THAT IS. THAT WE HAVE

TO WE HAVE

INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE PUT INTO RESEARCH AT UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNICS.

―

IT'S A REAL IMPERATIVE

-

NOW, THERE'S ONE SECRET THAT I'M GOING TO LET YOU INTO.

I AM NOT JUST CHANCELLOR OF ONE COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY IN HONG KONG. I AM CHANCELLOR OF ALL SEVEN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES IN HONG KONG AND I HAVE A DIFFERENT GOWN AND A DIFFERENT MORTARBOARD FOR EACH ONE AND I HAVE, ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR, TO GO AND GIVE DEGREES TO YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE QUALIFYING FOR DOCTORATES OR MASTERS DEGREES. AND IN ORDER ΤΟ MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP MORE OF THEM IN HONG KONG AND MAKE THE USE OF THEIR EDUCATION AND LEARNING, WE HAVE TO INCREASE, OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, QUITE SUBSTANTIALLY, THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT'S

RESEARCH.

PUT INTO

/QUESTION: