XN000022-1995-05-03 — Page 47

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Academic and professional qualifications for civil servants

Following is a question by the Hon Simon Ip Sik-on and a reply by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Michael Sze, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):

Question:

In view of the Government's recent announcement that recognition of academic and professional qualifications for civil service employment will be broadened, will the Government inform this Council whether it has any plans to recognise only those academic and professional qualifications, when employing professional officers for professional posts, which are recognised by their relevant professional bodies in the territory for private practice?

Reply:

Mr President

Let me make it clear at the outset that the announcement referred to in this question was about appointment criteria for posts requiring a general degree. The announcement did not relate to criteria for appointment to posts in the professional grades in the civil service. It is not our intention to change arrangements in respect of professional qualifications which are matters for the relevant professional bodies; arrangements which are well-established and preserved in Article 142 of the Basic Law.

As for general degrees, we have removed previous reference in our recruitment advertisements to British degrees. The guiding elements of our assessment of non- Hong Kong qualifications are as follows:-

(a)

(b)

we must be absolutely satisfied that the qualification in question is at least as good as the comparable Hong Kong qualifications for the purpose of recruitment to the civil service;

we examine each qualification on a case-by-case basis. We may accept some qualifications but not others from a University. And we may accept a certain qualification only if received after a certain date in a case where the standard of a course has been raised above our threshold between one academic year and the next;