What are the UGC's plans or strategies for facilitating Hong Kong to be an education hub for the region and beyond?
In the 2023 Policy Address, the Government announced its vision of developing Hong Kong into an international hub for post-secondary education. To fully support the Government's vision, the Education Bureau the UGC Secretariat have further strengthened collaboration with the Heads of Universities Committee's Standing Committee on Internationalisation (HUCOMSCI), actively enhancing the publicity and promotion of the "Study in Hong Kong" brand as well as expanding the international network and recruiting more students from different regions to pursue further studies in Hong Kong.
To support the universities in stepping up their efforts in this aspect, the UGC also provides funding for HUCOMSCI to participate in and organise various overseas publicity and promotion activities, such as participating in international higher education exhibitions, including Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) Conference and Exhibition, NAFSA: Association of International Educators (NASFA) Annual Conference and European Association for International Education (EAIE) Conference and Exhibition.
The UGC has also introduced the "Funding Scheme for Mainland and Global Engagement and Student Learning Experience" to allow universities to provide more overseas exchange and learning opportunities and enhance cross-cultural exchanges on campus to create a diverse and inclusive international learning environment.
It is the common goal of the Government, the UGC and the entire higher education sector to ensure that our graduates are globally competitive. The UGC believes that internationalisation will help diversify the local higher education sector, enhance cultural exchanges, and broaden the horizons of the local students.
To take forward this important initiative, the UGC will continue to work closely with the Government and UGC-funded universities to attract more quality non-local students and deepen internationalisation.