Mr E C Burr
Mr Hunting tells me that he has just visited Hong Kong at the request of the geographical desk. His report will reach the desk in a day or two. He understood that all that was required was a recommendation by ab an
education adviser about the list of equipments and books for the release of the balance of the £2m and nothing was said about a submission to the projects committee. Incidentally is there any reason why assignments of this kind cannot be handled by Dr Skelton in Bangkok it would be a lot cheaper than sending someone from London? Mr Hunting was definite that he is not in a position to prepare a detailed case for submission to the committee and his report will simply recommend spending according to his list of items.
2. It may be helpful in relation to the projects committee if I recap the case for approving the £2m as I have argued it.
3.
(i)
The Hong Kong government with the strong backing of the Chinese business community has embarked on this large investment in Technical Education at the quasi and sub-professional level in the shape of the Polytechnic. This will be the only institution of its kind in the colony.
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(ii) For political reasons the promise of the £m was made by the then
Minister.
(iii) There is in general terms a sound case for the investment in the Polytechnic on the grounds that the Colony has a population of upwards. of 4 million and has no natural resources. The population therefore has to live by its skills and expertise, in an increasingly competitive world.
(iv) Comparison is possible with one of its competitors the very similar state of Singapore whose population is half that of Hong Kong. It earns its living in the same way and in support of its industries has two "polytechnics" which together are already the size (8,000 students) to which Hong Kong aspires by 1978. By this date the two "polytechnics" in Singapore will according to present plans be twice the size. They have incidentally had considerable aid from us, from the Asian Development Bank and from the UNDP. We shall be giving technical assistance to one of them (Ngee Ann Technical College) down to 1978. This comparison with Singapore is one way of getting round the lack of manpower information in Hong Kong although both Mr Smee and I have been promised that there will be regular monitoring of the employment prospects and the output of the Polytechnic.
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(v) If the general case for the Polytechnic is accepted there remains the problem of identifying the precise purchases to be made out of the British money. Br Hunting's report may now solve this problem but hitherto I have felt that it should be left to the Hong Kong Polytechniq and Universities Grants Committee to approve expenditures. They have in my view, adequate control over the Polytechnic's expenditure and by having an arrangement with them we avoid the possibilities of differing views on individual items and Hong Kong or of the Committee being by- passed for a few items.
None of this adds up to a normal case for the projects committee, but the alternative would seem to be an expensive exercise and one unwelcome to the geographical department in London and in Hong Kong.
M. Archard
Dr O G Pickard
6 October 1975
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