TNAG-1073-FCO40-1323-Policy-of-the-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-including-1981 — Page 330

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quality of Form V education arising from the increasing number of

subsidised places being made available at this level. There was also a

substantial increase in the number of candidates entering for the Higher

and Advanced level examinations.

Options for development

6.14

Having examined social demand, economic demand and the number

of students qualified to proceed to higher education, the 1979 Working

Group concluded that there was a prima facie case for some expansion

or re-orientation of higher education in Hong Kong but that it was not

possible at present to determine how many additional places were required,

what types of places and at what levels. It was thought, however, that

it might be desirable to plan for a modest overprovision of technologists

and technicians in order to assist the diversification of Hong Kong

industry and to allow for any underassessment of demand (having regard

to the fact that not all technologists and technicians enter employment

directly related to their fields of training). It was also considered

that the development of higher education must satisfy within reasonable

limits the aspirations of the many in Hong Kong who seek education for

personal development, regardless of economic demand, the community as

a whole ultimately benefiting to some degree from the realisation of

such aspirations.

6.15

With these factors in view the 1979 Working Group then

considered a broad range of options and combinations of options for the

development of tertiary education which took account of the following

elements: further expansion of the university sector; further expansion

of the Polytechnic; further expansion of the approved post-secondary

colleges sector; further expansion of the technical institutes; the

introduction of external degrees; development along "open university"

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