UGC Reception for Outstanding Students on 19 December 2000
The University Grants Committee (UGC) held a Reception for Outstanding Students on 19 December 2000 at the Government House to let community and business leaders meet the outstanding students from the eight UGC-funded institutions and to appreciate at first hand the students' true capabilities. Dr Alice Lam, Chairman, UGC emphasized that "because we have moved away from an elitist higher education system, on average the standards of students nowadays might not be as high as those in the old days when only a privileged few could have a university education. Today, you (the guests) will see for yourselves that good students are still very good and the best are even better."
Dr Lam said that the main purpose of the Reception is "for the UGC, the institutions and the students to formally say a big Thank You to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for their generous support which made possible a pilot scholarship scheme bringing to Hong Kong 450 outstanding Mainland students from top-notch Mainland universities like Beijing, Tsinghua, Jiaotung and Fudan Universities to pursue undergraduate studies in our institutions." 289 of these students are already studying in Hong Kong and the remaining batch will come to Hong Kong in September next year.
The HKJC scholarship scheme has received very positive and favourable feedback from the students, both local and Mainland, from the institutions and from the education community at large. "There is no doubt that the scheme has brought a new dimension to higher education in Hong Kong and has improved the exposure of our local students. Apart from injecting an element of healthy competition in our campus, the scheme has also helped the students to establish useful networks here and in the Mainland." Dr Lam added.
The UGC hopes to highlight this scholarship scheme to leaders of our community and how it has benefited both the local and the Mainland students, in the hope that its success will attract sponsorship from new sources. Dr Lam was pleased that "we have already had very encouraging responses from benevolent individuals for example, the Lee Heng Scholarship Scheme donated by Mr Maximilliam Ma, sponsoring a total of eight outstanding Mainland students." The UGC is trying to spread the benefits of the scheme and to put the arrangements on a secure footing for the long term.
Tuesday, December 19, 2000