TNAG-0177-FCO40-213-Proposed-Polytechnic-1969 — Page 48

THE COUNCIL FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION

AND TRAINING FOR OVERSEAS COUNTRIES

30 SEP 1969

HKK 9/3

Note of a meeting held with the Chairman and Secretary of the Hong Kong Polytechnic Planning

Committee. 9th September, 1969

Present: Sir Fred Pedler (in the Chair)

Mr. Tang (Chairman of the Hong Kong

Polytechnic Planning Committee) Mr. Bailey (Secretary of the Hong Kong

Polytechnic Planning Committee)

Mr. Blair

Sir Christopher Cox

Mr. Gailer

Mr. Marsh

Mr. Marshall

Mr. Murray (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) Miss Ogilvie

Mr. Warren Dr. Watts

Mr. Collins Mr. Day

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Secretariat

28

The Chairman welcomed Mr. Tang and Mr. Bailey, introduced the Council members present, and expressed the Council's desire to assist the Polytechnic Planning Committee in any possible way. Two papers were in the hands of members: the Planning Committee's submission to the Governor on "General Principles and their application", which the Chairman thought reflected excellent progress, and Mr. Bailey's letter of the 2nd September, which might serve as a good basis for the present discussion.

Mr. Tang thanked the Chairman and members for their cordial reception, and looked forward to a long-standing relationship between TETOC and the Polytechnic authorities. He agreed that the meeting should proceed by reference to the questions in Mr. Bailey's letter.

(a)

Recruitment. "In your experience is recruitment for a semi-autonomous institution

likely to be more difficult than recruitment for a wholly government institution?" The secretary expressed the opinion that good candidates were more likely to be attracted for the Principalship, and subsequently for subordinate posts, if the institution was semi-autonomous than if it was a wholly government institution, and recruitment for the latter would therefore be more difficult. Dr. Watts added that this was not just a matter of conditions of service, but there were operational reasons, in that a Principal could act more effectively in many ways if he were not a civil servant. In reply to a question by Sir Christopher Cox about the measure of autonomy intended, Mr. Bailey said that Government would no doubt be more strongly represented on the governing body of the Polytechnic than it would be on the University Council, and would provide certain services and make certain requirements consistent with an acceptable measure of what would be semi-autonomy rather than autonomy.

/(b)