University Grants Committee establishes Whole-person Development Fund
The University Grants Committee (UGC) today (January 30) announced the establishment of the Whole-person Development Fund (WPDF), with an allocation of $30 million in the 2022/23 to 2024/25 triennium, to support the eight UGC-funded universities in pursuing initiatives that will enrich the learning experience of students outside the classroom, thereby promoting whole-person development of the younger generation.
The Government has identified "whole-person development" as one of the four strategic directions for the UGC and its funded universities in the 2022-25 triennium. With a view to guiding the universities in implementing this strategic direction, while taking into account recent trends in higher education development both locally and globally, the UGC has established the WPDF to support the universities in taking forward initiatives in respect of the following four key areas to promote whole-person education:
- cultivating leadership with compassion and empathy through service learning;
- fostering a stronger sense of social responsibility and good citizenship;
- promoting positive education and psychological well-being; and
- stimulating curiosity, creativity and lifelong self-improvement.
The Chairman of the UGC, Mr Tim Lui, said, "Through the WPDF, we support our universities' continuous efforts in nurturing future leaders with a sense of social responsibility and personal aspiration, as well as a sense of national identity, an affection for Hong Kong and an international perspective. Apart from enhancing the holistic development of our students, the universities may make use of the WPDF to implement innovation projects benefitting those in need on campus as well as from the community, such as under-privileged families, ethnic minorities and other disadvantaged students, thereby dovetailing with the Government's endeavours in promoting upward social mobility and addressing inter-generational poverty."
The UGC has invited all universities to submit proposals under the WPDF, and aims to provide funding to the universities in the second quarter of 2023 so that their initiatives can be commenced as soon as practicable with a view to benefitting students and the community.