Sessional_Paper_1938 — Page 228

Sessional Papers 議政定例兩局文件 All

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2. Resolved that before proceeding to deal in detail with the Report of the University (1937) Committee, the Senate desire to place on record its unanimous agreement with the Memorandum presented on behalf of the professorial staff to the University Court on May 21st, 1937.

3. Resolved that the Senate considers it a matter for regret that in publishing a Report of such importance the Committee did not see fit to indicate more clearly the grounds upon which the findings were based, and that members of the staff of the University were not given an opportunity of examining the evidence and commenting on it before the findings were published.

4. It was resolved that the members of the Senate observe with regret the deprecatory attitude of the Committee towards research, and declare their unanimous opinion that research is a necessary and integral function of every University.

The Senate, in regard to the context of the Committee's references to research, further desires to point out (a) that research does not form part of the work of undergraduates, (b) that research is not confined to scientific faculties and does not imply in itself the provision of new buildings, elaborate apparatus, and the like, which depend entirely upon the nature of the phenomena to be studied, (c) that an essential requirement for research is rather the provision of reasonable periods of freedom from routine duties for the purpose of observation, record, analysis and the embodiment of the results in the completed form.

5. Proposed by Faculty of Medicine and endorsed by Senate: The Faculty is of the opinion-

(a) that the ambiguous remark concerning research in paragraph 45 of the Report must be based on an inadequate knowledge of the original work already accomplished in the University;

(b) that the University should actively encourage its staff to undertake original work not only for the value of the research accomplished, but also for the undoubted stimulating effect such work has on the students in the depart- ments;

(c) that elaborate apparatus and equipment are not inevitable accompaniments

of valuable research work.

6. The following resolutions proposed by the Faculty of Engineering which are germane to, but do not arise directly out of, the Report were passed by the Senate:

(a) The Senate considers that the annual award of Honours Degrees in Engineer- ing, by Assessors who are examiners in the University of London, and the record of post-graduate work done in Britain and America, afford con- vincing evidence that the instruction in engineering provided in this University is of a satisfactory standard.

(b) The Faculty desires to recall in this connexion that in October, 1932, the Senate endorsed the opinion that "If our graduates and/or undergraduates could look to a definite system of apprenticeship covering a reasonable period in well equipped and efficiently controlled works under effective supervision, we believe a large proportion of them would "make good", and we should be measurably nearer to the realization of those high hopes, for China, and the British Empire, and their mutual relations, expressed in 1909 by Mr. J. H. Scott and H.E. the Governor ".

(c) The Senate regrets that hitherto the Government and local engineering firms have failed to provide adequate or appropriate apprenticeships. It notes with satisfaction however that the number of apprenticeships avail- able in the Public Works Department has recently been increased.

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