ENG-1997 — Page 208

EDUCATION

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Support services provided by the VTC include a vocational assessment service, using internationally-recognised tests and work samples designed to evaluate a person's vocational strength and potential. Most special school students attend a specific assessment programme in their final school year. A comprehensive programme is used in assessing the more complex cases.

The VTC's Technical Aids and Resource Centre designs and makes aids for disabled people to enhance their training and employment prospects, and provides information and resource materials on vocational rehabilitation.

An inspectorate unit advises skills centres on administration, curriculum, training methods and standards, and provides guidance to disabled students on training courses. The unit works closely with the Labour Department's selective placement service to ensure that training matches the local employment market demand. Some 80 per cent of disabled people completing full-time courses in technical institutes and skills centres entered open employment or enrolled in further courses in mainstream technical education during the year.

Tertiary Education

Ten years ago, less than five per cent of the 17-20 age group could receive tertiary education in Hong Kong. By 1994-95, this figure had increased to about 18 per cent, with 14 500 places available for first-year, first-degree courses. A further six per cent of the relevant age group have access to first year sub-degree courses. Degrees up to doctorate level awarded locally are recognised by institutions of higher learning around the world. Academic standards are guaranteed by the appointment of external examiners from prominent overseas universities and colleges. The HKCAA validates courses and programmes offered by Hong Kong's non-university, degree- awarding institutions. There are eight publicly-funded tertiary institutions under the aegis of the UGC, of which six are fully self-accrediting universities, one is a degree- awarding liberal arts college and one, the HKIEd, is a teacher-training institution.

The Tertiary Institutions

City University of Hong Kong, founded in 1984 as the City Polytechnic of Hong Kong and upgraded to a fully self-accrediting university in 1994, has 10 680 full-time, 6 629 part-time and 436 sandwich-course students. The four faculties - Business; Humanities and Social Sciences; Law; and Science and Technology offer first- degree courses, postgraduate diplomas and taught master's degree courses as well as Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy programmes by research. Diploma and Higher Diploma courses are offered by the College of Higher Vocational Studies through its Divisions of Commerce, Social Studies, Language Studies, Building Science & Technology and Computer Studies.

The Hong Kong Baptist University was founded by the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong in 1956 as the Hong Kong Baptist College. In 1983, it was incorporated through legislation as a tertiary institution capable of offering degree courses, and became 100 per cent funded by the government. In 1989, it became the third tertiary institution in Hong Kong to operate fully at the degree level. It was accorded formal university title and status through legislation in 1994. The university now offers 39 undergraduate programmes, 10 taught postgraduate programmes, and research programmes through its five faculties/schools of Arts, Business, Communication, Science and Social Sciences; and has 4 307 full-time and 565 part-time students. Its