ENG-1988 — Page 160

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EDUCATION

Situated on a nine-hectare campus partly on reclaimed land in Hung Hom, Kowloon, the Hong Kong Polytechnic is still in the midst of an extensive building development programme. Construction of its Phase IIIA project, which also incorporates the Poly- technic's long-awaited main entrance development, began in 1987 and has been progressing satisfactorily despite labour and materials shortages. The project is scheduled for com- pletion in April 1989 and will house the directorate and most of the polytechnic's adminis- trative departments as well as teaching and staff accommodation, and a small theatre.

Construction of the Phase IIIB development began in April 1988 and is scheduled for completion in mid-1990. This development will provide additional specialist and general teaching accommodation, research space, staff offices, administrative facilities, new canteen and staff facilities, a new sports hall, and accommodation for some specialist centres.

City Polytechnic of Hong Kong

It was a year of further growth for the City Polytechnic, particularly in terms of the numbers of students admitted and graduating. It was also the second year in which the polytechnic and the Hong Kong Polytechnic co-operated in a joint admission programme. Competition for places remained keen: the polytechnic received about 46 000 applications for 3 600 places on courses in various modes of attendance. With the intake of new students in October, the total student population reached 7 000 at the year's end, about half of them being on full-time and sandwich mode courses.

The 1988-9 academic year also saw a significant increase in the number of courses offered. With the establishment of new academic departments of Applied Social Studies, Economics and Finance, and Law, 16 new courses at levels ranging from higher certificate to postgraduate diploma were introduced in October, bringing to 36 the total number of programmes of study from which students could choose. Notable among the additions were a Bachelor of Laws degree with honours, a Bachelor of Engineering degree with honours in Computer Engineering and two postgraduate diplomas, in Language and Law and in Banking and Finance. These courses underlined the polytechnic's continuous commitment to meeting a diversity of academic and vocational needs in Hong Kong. The polytechnic has been particularly pleased to have the opportunity to establish Hong Kong's second Law School.

In November, the polytechnic conferred academic awards on its third group of graduates. The 1 124 graduates, the highest number since the polytechnic came into operation and twice as many as the previous year, included 55 postgraduate diplomates, 136 bachelors with honours, 353 professional diplomates, 383 higher diplomates, 42 higher certificate awardees and 155 diplomates. By the year's end, most of these graduates had found employment relevant to their studies.

Along with the increase in the number of graduates came the need to set up an alumni association to promote and foster relations among past students. A planning committee of both graduate and staff representatives was set up during the year to draft the association's constitution and to prepare for its incorporation.

The year also witnessed the completion and occupation of Phase 1A of the polytechnic's permanent campus at Tat Chee Avenue in Kowloon Tong. In October, five academic departments - Applied Science, Building and Construction, Computer Studies, Electronic Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering were relocated to the permanent campus together with the Centralised Laboratories and some other administrative and support services. Phase 1A, with a net floor space of 12 000 square metres, accommodates both teaching and supporting facilities for more than 200 staff and 1 000 students.

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