XN000022-1994-06-08 — Page 17

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 1994

THE QUALITY LEADERS WHO CAN JUDGE SENSIBLY AND LEAD CAPABLY IN BOTH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS.

THIS

CONCERN. AFTERNOON.

SUBJECT RIGHTLY DESERVES SO MANY MEMBERS' ATTENTION AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR THEIR CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS THIS

I ALSO WELCOME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN GOVERNMENT'S THINKING ON THE FUTURE DIRECTION OF OUR HIGHER EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT.

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OF

ONE OF THE GOVERNMENT'S MAJOR EDUCATION INITIATIVES FOR 1990S WAS THE DECISION, MADE IN 1989, TO ACCELERATE THE EXPANSION TERTIARY PLACES. STARTING FROM THE EARLY 1980S, HAVING SUCCESSFULLY INTRODUCED NINE YEARS OF FREE AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION, GOVERNMENT BEGAN TO EMBARK ON A PHASED) PROGRAMME IN EXPANDING TERTIARY EDUCATION. IN 1979-80, ONLY ONE IN 50 OF OUR YOUTHS AGED BETWEEN 17 AND 20 ACCESS TO FIRST-YEAR, FIRST-DEGREE PLACES IN LOCAL INSTITUTIONS. 1989-90, THIS RATIO HAD INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY TO ONE IN 12.

HAD

BY

THE SPEED OF EXPANSION WAS ALREADY QUITE FAST THEN, BUT WE WERE NOT SATISFIED WITH IT. WE KNEW WE WOULD NEED MORE, GIVEN OUR PACE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TO OFFSET THE OUTFLOW OF TALENTS THROUGH EMIGRATION. IT WAS ALSO VERY CLEAR TO US THAT FOLLOWING THE SUCCESSPU, DEVELOPMENT OF MASS EDUCATION AT THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY LEVELS, PARENTS WOULD NATURALLY EXPECT THE GOVERNMENT про EXPAND TERTIARY PLACES FOR THEIR CHILDREN. IN SHORT, WE NEEDED THE SUPPLY, AND THE DEMAND WAS INCREASINGLY OBVIOUS.

GOVERNMENT THEREFORE DECIDED IN 1989 THAT WE SHOULD ACCELERATE THE PROGRAMME OF EXPANSION BY AIMING TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT TERTIARY PLACKS SO THAT BY 1994-95, ABOUT ONE IN FIVE OF THOSE IN THE RIGHT AGE GROUP WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO FIRST-YEAR, FIRST-DEGREE PLACES. IF WE ADD THE SUB-DEGREE PLACES TO THE EQUATION, NEARLY ONE IN FOUR OF OUR YOUTHS BETWEEN THE AGE OF 17 AND 20 WILL BE JOINING LOCAL TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS AS FULL-TIME STUDENTS AFTER THIS SUMMER. WHILE THE TARGET WE SET FOR OURSELVES IS NOT OVER GENEROUS BY INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, THE PACE WITH WHICH WE HAD IT DONE WAS UNPRECEDENTED. THANKS TO THE HARD WORK AND COMMITMENT OF OUR TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS AND ALL THOSE WHO WORK IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION CONSTITUENCY, INCLUDING OF COURSE THE UPGC, WE ARE WELJ, ON TARGET IN ACHIEVING THIS IMPORTANT AIM.

FIVE YEARS INTO THE EXPANSION PROGRAMME, THE GOVERNMENT AND THE UPGC CONSIDER THAT THIS IS THE TIME BOTH TO TAKE STOCK AND ΤΟ THINK AHEAD. AS A THEME TO THEIR INTERIM REPORT ON HIGHER EDUCATION, THE UPGC HAS PUT FORWARD THE IDEA OF DEVELOPING OUR TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS TO INCORPORATE CENTRES OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE THAT CATER FOR FUNCTIONS BEYOND HONG KONG'S LOCAL NEEDS, THAT TRAIN HIGH QUALITY BILINGUAL MANPOWER FOR BOTH HONG KONG AND ITS HINTERLAND, AND ACT AS POINTS REFERENCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES, BUSINESS AND INNOVATIVE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPMENTS IN BOTH CHINA AND BEYOND.

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THE ADMINISTRATION WELCOMES THIS VISIONARY IDEA IN PRINCIPLE. RECOGNISE THAT OUR NEXT STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION, FOLLOWING THE DECADES OF CHANGE FROM AN ELITIST TO A MORE ACCESSIBLE SYSTEM, MUST BE THE QUEST FOR QUALITY, THERE ARE STRONG ARGUMENTS FOR A CONCERTED POLICY IN ENCOURAGING AND GUIDING OUR INSTITUTIONS TO AIM HIGHER AND TO SEE FURTHER AHEAD :

/- FIRST, IT