ENG-1982 — Page 114

EDUCATION

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evening students, and 280 students taking short full-time courses. In July 1982, the staff strength stood at 2.125 comprising 752 teaching, 211 senior administrative, and 1 162 technical, clerical and ancillary staff.

A notable event of the year was the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Polytechnic. A series of functions was organised to mark the occasion, including the 10th Anniversary Open Day on March 5, opened by the Governor; a series of 10 anniversary lectures; the publication of a booklet on the polytechnic's first 10 years; and a supplement in local newspapers.

Campus development in 1982 included the design of the Fong Shu Chuen Hall a general purpose hall for examinations, conferences, exhibitions and other functions and the extension of the fourth floor of the main building - to provide additional space for the Department of Nautical Studies. Both projects are due for completion in 1983. In addition, planning is in progress for the construction of the Phase IIB building to provide additional accommodation for staff and students.

The polytechnic library has a large collection of scientific, engineering and business materials. In addition to stocking approximately 300 000 volumes, it is equipped with slides, film loops, and audio and video cassettes.

Staff are encouraged to offer their services to commerce and industry as consultants within their fields of expertise, and are also actively engaged in research work of direct relevance to Hong Kong. Most research projects receive grants from the Polytechnic Research Committee which is responsible for overall research policies and utilisation of research funds while other research projects receive funding and assistance from commerce and industry, and from the government.

University of Hong Kong

The University of Hong Kong was founded in 1911 by initially taking over the work of the former College of Medicine which was established in 1887. The university's central estate is on the north-western slopes of Hong Kong Island, but it also occupies a tract of land adjacent to the Queen Mary Hospital.

The structure and governance of the university is similar to that found in most British universities. Most of the undergraduate courses are of three years' duration and lead to honours degrees. All undergraduates, with the exception of a small number of law students, are full-time and are almost entirely from Hong Kong. The medium of instruction is English except in the Department of Chinese. External examiners and eminent academics, generally from universities in the West, visit in each subject area at least every three years and moderate each year's finals papers to ensure that international standards are upheld. Students are admitted mainly on the results of the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination, and competition for places is intense. The academic staff is recruited through international advertisement.

The university is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). Under the auspices of the Committee for International Co-operation in Higher Education, it has the benefit of expert opinion from senior academics from the United Kingdom and various Commonwealth universities who visit from time to time to give advice on specific academic questions.

Recent major developments at the university include the establishment of a Faculty of Dentistry in July - though the first students were admitted in September 1980 – and the establishment of a Department of Music. The university is in the midst of a substantial development phase: new buildings for the study of science and to provide residential