ENG-1989 — Page 166

EDUCATION

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provides accommodation for the Business School and central administration. The final stage of the redevelopment project - refurbishment of the first group of buildings on campus - has already started and is scheduled for completion in 1990.

During the year, approval was obtained from the government to expand the college's enrolment beyond 3 000 students, starting in the 1991-4 triennium and using a neigh- bouring site, at Renfrew Road, currently being used as a temporary campus.

Provisional Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation

Following the government's decision that Hong Kong should have its own academic accreditation agency to ensure that the standards of non-university degree courses were comparable with those of internationally-recognised degrees, the Provisional Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation (PHKCAA) was set up in November 1987 to prepare for the establishment of an independent Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation (HKCAA).

In April, the provisional council completed its task and submitted its final report to the Governor. In the course of its work, it has established criteria and developed the procedures and administrative systems which the HKCAA will follow. The PHKCAA has also prepared a handbook setting out the principles and methodology of external evaluation in accordance with the HKCAA's objective of disseminating information on good accreditation practices.

A carefully-selected specialist register of academics and non-academics, both locally and overseas, has been established. These specialists have the expertise to form the backbone of panels responsible for validation and revalidation of degree courses. To date the register comprises over 400 experts.

Links have been established with some 40 overseas accrediting bodies. This will help to ensure the international standing of the council itself and of the institutions whose courses it validates.

The HKCAA will be formally established as a statutory body early in 1990. It will meet twice a year and will comprise no more than 21 members appointed by the Governor. Members will include overseas and local academics, as well as non-academics drawn from Hong Kong's industrial, commercial and professional sectors. The council will be serviced by a permanent secretariat headed by an executive director who will also be a member of the council.

The council's initial role will be to validate and revalidate individual courses. The HKCAA will be the academic authority on degree standards in Hong Kong and will provide information and advice on academic quality assurance.

Open Education

The Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong (OLI) was formally established in June as the seventh degree-granting institution in Hong Kong, following an active period of planning and the enactment of legislation. This was followed by a visit from the UK National Council for Academic Awards (CNAA) to help establish the academic standard of the institute and its programmes.

Enrolment of students commenced in August and the public response turned out to be overwhelming. Over 200 000 application forms were distributed and 60 000 actually applied for entry. Consistent with the concept of open access, the applicants were selected on a random basis after the OLI provided careful counselling on the nature and the vigorous demands of studying open learning courses. In September, about 4 000 students