RECORD OF A MEETING HELD ON 1 OCTOBER 1973 TO DISCUSS PROPOSALS FOR
ASSISTANCE TO HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC
Present:
Mr J Mark
Dr O G Pickard Mr G A Hunting Mr C II Smee
Mr R O Carter
Mr JAB Smith
Mr AC Stuart
Mr M A Goodfellow Mrs MacColl
ORIGINAL. ON HKK 5/1/
THIS COPY FOR HRicals
Mr Mark opened the meeting by saying he had been asked by the Chairman of the Projects Committee to call it in order to consider in greater depth and less formally than would be possible in the Committee proposals to assist the Hong Kong Polytechnic with £1 million of aid. Ministers had made the offer, but it remained necessary to ensure that these resources would be used to the best effect.
2. Mr Stuart and Mr Goodfellow explained the present situation and the background to the project. Aid was offered to rather than asked for by Hong Kong and the authorities there appeared disinclined to present their plans or to provide information in detail. Proposals to use aid had probably not been worked out beforehand and would evolve as the Polyteclmic itself developed. The Polytechnic wished to allocate the aid between books and microfilms, audio-visual aids, and a metrology laboratory. The Folytechnic was not in a position to provide details on the last two as the respective Heads of Department had still to be appointed. A Librarian had been appointed and there was accommodation for an initial presentation of books and microfilms. The Polytechnic wished to obtain these now prior to working out in detail the use to which the whole million would be put. Mr Stuart's department would be disturbed if it was not able to provide the funds promised when they were sought.
3. Mr Mark indicated that the Projects Committee could take up on their merits parts of a project provided they knew how these related to the project as a whole and invited the comments of Dr Fickard and Mir Hunting. They felt that it was not possible to judge the value of the proposals without sight of the academic development plan. Such a document must exist in view of the world-wide staff recruitment operation which was being conducted for the Polytechnic. The plan would indicate the type of courses conducted and their level, and was relevant to the request for £15,000 of microfilm and related equipment included in the initial proposal to spend £38,000. Hicrofilm generally stored journal material which tended to be used by researchers rather then by student technicians. The academic development planned would indicate the role which educational technology was to play in instruction and this had relevance to the considerable expenditure envisaged on colour television, video recorders and other audio-visual aids. It would also indicate the use envisaged for a metrology laboratory better equipped than those in most UK polytechnics.
It was agreed that in the present circumstances it would be best to indicate to the Hong Kong authorities that:
a.
Money could be made available for any reasonable purchase of books within the initial £38,000 (though this included
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/microfilm
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