I want to respond
Archives
UGC
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Assisting the Government in Reflecting the Development of the Higher Education system
(29-04-2010)

The Higher Education Review 2010 (HER 2010) is an important undertaking of the University Grants Committee (UGC) in 2010, and the Committee would like the Review to be fully informed by stakeholders' views. The Higher Education Review Group (HERG) established under the UGC solicited public views earlier last year, and have so far received quite a number of written submissions. To enhance communication and interaction with our stakeholders, the HERG held two consultation fora for staff and students of the UGC-funded institutions. We noticed that stakeholders were particularly concerned about the issues such as internationalisation, collaboration with Mainland China, quality, and articulation opportunities, etc.

The HERG therefore organised another round of consultation in April 2010, extending the invitation to staff and students from the entire post- secondary education sector. Although the consultation sessions had to be postponed to April 24 as the HERG convenor could not arrive as scheduled due to closure of European airports, the sessions still attracted over 100 staff and students from both the UGC and non-UGC post-secondary sectors, and representatives of quality assurance bodies, etc.

Many participants commented on issues relating to internationalisation. We hope to take this opportunity to share with you the views collected so far.

The UGC has been encouraging institutions to pursue internationalisation with a view to providing an internationalised learning environment and broadening students' horizon. Internationalisation means more than the recruitment of non-local students, it includes also, for instance, providing exchange opportunities to local students so that students can "reach out". Many of the staff and students attended the sessions were supportive of internationalisation to enrich student learning experiences. They considered that Hong Kong should seize the opportunity, and further develop towards the goal of internationalisation - a view shared by the HERG.

Nevertheless, some staff and students commented that a majority of non-local students were from the Mainland, and there was no genuine integration between local and non-local students, which made it difficult to realise the objective of internationalisation. Some also considered that the admission of non-local students would have a displacement effect on the opportunities and resources available to local students.

To rise to the challenges of globalisation, HERG considers that the higher education sector should seek to become more internationalised, so as to instil a global vision in our students and enhance their competitiveness. As a matter of fact, the "international character" has always been one of the cornerstones of Hong Kong's success. We also have to understand how Hong Kong's higher education should be positioned in view of the rapid socio-economic development of the Mainland China. These are issues warranting thorough discussion in the HER 2010.

HERG is also aware of stakeholders' concerns, including whether there is adequate support for promoting internationlisation in institutions, and whether institutions could meet the demand for hostel places from local and non-local students. These are also issues that need to be addressed by the Review.

We are glad that many staff and students spared their time on a Saturday to participate in the consultation fora, which indicated that they had the development of higher education at heart. HERG is grateful for their support to the work of the Review.

HER 2010 is moving in full swing. HERG will seriously consider the comments and views received, and come up with a forward looking document to assist the Government and the public in reflecting the strategies for Hong Kong's higher education system.

Higher Education Review Group