The University Grants Committee (UGC) today (28 November 1996) announced the publication of the Committee's report on the development of higher education in Hong Kong.

Speaking at a press conference to present the report, the UGC Chairman, Mr Antony K C Leung OBE JP, said that the Report, which is 216 pages long, represents the most comprehensive review of the background and present landscape of higher education in Hong Kong ever published.

"More importantly, however, the Report addresses and makes recommendations regarding the development of higher education over the next decade and beyond into the 21st century," he said.

Referring to the recent expansion of higher education, Mr Leung said: "The achievements in developing the Hong Kong tertiary education system over the past few years are astonishing, perhaps unique in history. The number of places for students entering degree courses has been almost doubled and at a pace of increase never before achieved anywhere in the world. A high standard of teaching and learning has been maintained. Over the same period research, which was not a prominent feature of Hong Kong tertiary education in its early days, has expanded rapidly in both quantity and quality. Any one of these achievements, alone, would have been noteworthy, but to have managed all of them simultaneously is extraordinary.

"These achievements reflect great credit on all concerned. On the universities and colleges that have shown a remarkable ability to initiate new courses and expand existing ones despite the very limited scope for local recruitment of academic staff. On the students, many of whose parents education ended at primary school, in working so hard to achieve high educational standards. Not least on the government and people of Hong Kong for providing the funds through their taxes to make it possible," Mr Leung said.

Looking to the future, Mr Leung went on: "Hong Kong is now in a period of rapid political and social change. The transfer of sovereignty will probably accelerate the growth in links with China and the movement of graduate labour between China and Hong Kong, although both are, of course, already occurring. This extension of our relationship with China poses unique challenges for our graduates. While they will face more competition from graduates from China, there will at the same time be increased opportunities for Hong Kong graduates to work in China as supervisors, managers, accountants, bankers, etc. This is in some senses only a local manifestation of the globalisation of high level labour, in which movement of workers across boundaries, either physically or via computer links, is becoming commonplace.

"Two advantages which Hong Kong graduates possess in making their way in the "global village" are that they are already used to working in two cultures (East and West) and that they speak the international language of both business and science - English. We should not, however, be complacent about this - some of our neighbours can make similar claims - and we need constantly to reinforce these attributes, particularly within higher education.

"An aspect of the extension of Hong Kong's external links which we should exploit is the opportunity for Hong Kong to become a regional centre, not just in business, but in higher education. There will be an increasing demand for initial, high quality, tertiary education from young people in south China and other Pacific-rim countries and, perhaps more important, for postgraduate work as well as continuing and professional education (CPE). If we can attract the better talents from the rest of the world, particularly from our neighbouring regions, Hong Kong's talent pool will be enriched. Currently some of the best research postgraduates in our universities come from the Chinese mainland. They are contributing significantly to the development of our higher education.

"We shall increasingly in future live in a knowledge-based economy in which the amount of knowledge and our capacity to store and retrieve it is ever increasing, but the period for which particular pieces of knowledge are relevant or valuable is commonly decreasing. CPE will grow (in Hong Kong the number of students on CPE courses already exceeds the number in initial higher education by a factor of 3). CPE will partly be required as an answer to the knowledge explosion, but even more as a facilitator of career change as old industries diminish and new ones grow. It thus has a significant role to play in the restructuring our economy.

"As well as changes of a political and social nature, and those caused by the increasing demand for 'through life' education, our higher education institutions will have to accommodate to quite different teaching methods which utilise the growing capacities of IT. We do not see the 'global village' incorporating the 'global university', but we do see the ready availability of material and courses from outside Hong Kong leading to our institutions operating in a more competitive environment than they have done hitherto.

"The one factor which is likely to be dominant in the development of our institutions over the next decade will be perceptions of quality. If they are regarded as providers of high quality teaching and as engaged in high quality research, then they have a good chance of becoming regional centres for educational services and substantial exporters on the global net. In this context in particular, our institutions need to develop areas of excellence and aspire to world class standards in their teaching and research.

"All of this does, however, have to be set in a scenario in which questions about the cost of higher education by government and the taxpayer are likely to become increasingly strident. The developments described may require some additional resources, but there will at the same time be opportunities for offsetting savings to be achieved without sacrifice of quality."

In conclusion, Mr Leung said: "Hong Kong currently has a higher education system which compares well with others around the world, serving the needs of the community flexibly and competently, and reasonably cost-effectively. The present health and vigour of our higher education has been achieved only through very hard work and much dedication over many years by staff in the institutions, by governing bodies, by concerned individuals, by legislators and by government officials.

"My Committee believes that higher education institutions in Hong Kong have a bright prospect provided that they use the current pause in expansion to establish a reputation for quality in both first degree and postgraduate output and research performance and relevance. Particular attention to language and communication skills of students will be required and institutions should use every good opportunity afforded by the advancement of information technology, while retaining the more valuable contributions of traditional pedagogy. My Committee believes that the material conditions for excellence are present : its achievement is now dependent upon imagination and dedication."

In October 1989 the then Governor, Sir David Wilson KCMG, announced the Government's plan to increase the provision of first year first degree places to enable at least 18% of the relevant age group to have access to an undergraduate education in Hong Kong by 1994-95. At the same time the Government requested the UGC to advise on and oversee the implementation of this plan, and also to advise, in due course, on whether further expansion was desirable or practicable during the period 1995-2000.

Subsequently the UGC was also asked by the Government to extend its review to cover the whole of higher education in Hong Kong. This implied discussion not merely of the UGC-funded institutions, but those of the VTC, the other subvented or partially subvented bodies, such as the APA and the OLI, as well as private colleges and higher education provided by professional bodies, trade associations and overseas government agencies.

The UGC's Report, which describes the background and present landscape as well as the challenges facing higher education in Hong Kong in the future, contains a number of specific recommendations addressed to the Government, the higher education institutions and employers.

The recommendations to the Government relate to the preservation of academic freedom and institutional autonomy, funding for research, student residences, tuition fees, the structure of undergraduate education, student numbers in the 1998-2001 triennium and the enrolment of non-local students.

Those to the higher education institutions relate to the interface between the secondary and the tertiary education sectors, maintenance of admissions standards, particularly with respect to language proficiency, the development of areas of excellence, inter-institutional collaboration, the maintenance and replacement of physical plant and human resources, and the development and funding of Continuing and Professional Education courses.

Recommendations addressed to employers relate to the provision of training places for students in various disciplines, as well as their support of R&D; and involvement in academic planning.

The UGC's Report "Higher Education in Hong Kong" will be made available to all interested parties free of charge and to the public via the public information counters of District Offices and Government publication centres. The Report will also be accessible via the UGC's World Wide Web page at: http://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/ugc/publication/report/hervw/ugcreport.htm.

Comments on the Report are welcome and should be addressed to:

UGC Secretariat
Suite 202 Hutchison House
10 Harcourt Road
Hong Kong

UGC Secretariat
November 1996