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The following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Anson Chan, at the 12th Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) today (Wednesday)
"The Asian Distance Learner"
Mr Lee, Dr Wang, Professor Khan, Professor Tam, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
I am honoured to be invited to officiate at the 12th Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Open Universities.
There's an old Chinese proverb: "By nature all men are alike, but by education, widely different." I believe the sentiments expressed in that proverb could well be a driving force that propels us to greater achievements. The pursuit of higher education - once a dream of many, is now a reality for most. It is a goal made more easily attainable through the advent of institutions such as yours - an open university system that allows the more mature student the opportunity to continue the quest for knowledge.
Until recently, the world marvelled at the phenomenal success of Asia. But the recent financial turmoil that swept through the region has been a bitter reminder that the prosperity we have enjoyed cannot be taken for granted. Many Asian economies are still suffering from a severe and abrupt downturn. And while we have seen some signs of stability, to varying degrees, no one can predict with any accuracy when we will be on the road to full recovery.
However, looking at it in a positive light, the past year has given us a golden opportunity to reflect - so that we can learn from our past, adapt to the present and, most important of all, anticipate and prepare for the future. If anything, it has reinforced our view that the future hinges on the quality and resilience of our human capital. Indeed, an eminent western economist commented that the Asian economic miracle was only a myth - a myth built upon incessant increases in the inputs of labour and capital without much productivity gain. That there was only toil but no innovation. While this observation may not tell the whole story, it nevertheless sheds some light upon the paramount and undisputed importance of innovation and value-adding in today's economy. For it is innovation that is driving the world and fuelling our growth engine. And the secret in this is knowledge. A society or nation aspiring to continual prosperity must create and maintain a pool of talents equipped with the most up-to-date knowledge. To bring in as many people as possible into this pool, we must ensure that education is accessible to all regardless of age or means.
This is what we in Hong Kong firmly believe, as embodied in our principles of "education for all" and "education for life". Education is the single biggest item of our public expenditure, accounting for some 22% of the total recurrent budget, and despite the economic downturn, spending will continue to rise. We provide nine years of free and compulsory education, beginning at the age of 6 and up to 15. Beyond that, about 95% of children complete heavily subsidised upper secondary or equivalent technical education. We also provide subsidised tertiary education to about 24% of the relevant age group. This is further proof of our commitment to providing quality education at all levels.
So you can see, "Education for all" - an ideology propounded by Confucius centuries ago - is well-respected and widely practised in Hong Kong today. And is perpetuated in the motto of the Open University of Hong Kong. For those who aspire to receiving tertiary education but have missed out or were deprived of the chance to do so, open learning has made their aspirations come true. By providing education to all, we enhance the literacy, employability and productivity of our people. As Mark Twain once said - "Any piece of knowledge I acquire today has a value at this moment exactly proportioned to my skill to deal with it. Tomorrow, when I know more, I recall that piece of knowledge and use it better."
Perhaps that is the best illustration of the saying of "education for life". Nowadays, it is simplistic to regard education as a once-in-a-lifetime experience through our formal school years. In this Information Age, the shelf life of our knowledge and expertise is getting shorter and shorter. New products come and new products go. And this is not only confined to the so-called hi-tech industry. Even more traditional industries such as finance and banking are quickly capitalising on the latest breakthrough in information technology. Those who fail to catch up with the latest market trend and production technique, will be left behind. For the society as a whole, as our knowledge and skills become obsolete more quickly, the "one-shot" philosophy of education is no longer tenable. If our economy is to sustain and prosper, training and education must be on a recurring basis. As individuals, we must be ready and willing to upgrade and update ourselves to retain our competitiveness.
I am proud to be a member of a community which treasures learning. It is estimated there are about 320 000 people in Hong Kong engaged in some form of continuing and professional education at the higher education level - that's about one in ten of our working population. And it's pleasing to note the Open University is one of the biggest providers in this field.
Delegates who attended the Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Open Universities in Hong Kong five years ago, may already be aware of some of the accomplishments of our Open University since then. The most noticeable, perhaps, is that it is no longer called the Open Learning Institute. It has also achieved self-financing, self-accrediting and now university status. Without doubt, the Open University has developed and matured into a key component of our education system.
Over 6 000 people have graduated from OUHK. Its student population has grown from 4 200 in 1989, the year it was established, to about 24 000 at present. The success story of the Open University epitomises Hong Kong people's belief in constant self-advancement, their strong determination to excel and their will to succeed. These qualities underpin our past achievements and present day success and have not been dampened by the economic chill that has swept the region for the past 12 months or so.
For our part, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will continue to support the Open University in its future development. We are helping it to develop into a centre of excellence in adult and distance learning so that it can serve as a resource centre not just for Hong Kong, but for the region as well. A one-off grant of about HK$50 million will be provided for this purpose. We will also inject another HK$50 million to OUHK's Student Loan Fund so that current and prospective students will not be denied the opportunity of continuing their studies because of a lack of means.
A lot has been achieved in the past decade, but there is no room for complacency. As I said a minute ago, the technological revolution has presented us with the challenge that what we learned today would soon be obsolete tomorrow. However, challenges bring new opportunities. First, the technological revolution means that late comers such as many Asian economies will be able to achieve in a far shorter time span what the advanced industrialised nations had achieved through the efforts of many generations, but only if we are quick enough to acquire new ideas and knowledge. This presents a great opportunity to our distance learners. For distance learning can be a faster and more efficient mode for dissemination of knowledge to a wider pool of population than traditional classroom study.
Second, distance learning is also made more feasible with the advent of technology. The development of communications technology has opened up many possibilities that were previously beyond our imagination. It breaks down the barriers of time and space, making distance learning more efficient, accessible and user-friendly. On-line education is increasingly prevalent. The idea of a "virtual" university campus has already been mooted, and it is conceivable that perhaps a few decades down the road, distance learning through the telecommunication network will become the norm rather than the exception. Higher education will perhaps no longer be conceived as a collection of books and lecture notes but rather as a cybernet through which new ideas and information quickly interacts and diffuse.
Our Asian distance learners will, quite rightly so, expect wider use of multi-media and other new technologies in the delivery of courses and support services. These require heavy investment in the hardware and software of our universities. I am delighted to see the Open University of Hong Kong gearing itself to meet these new challenges. The establishment of an electronic library and the inauguration of a pilot scheme for the first fully on-line programme last year are paving the way for the future. The University will also set up a multi-media laboratory for development and research in distance learning.
On a wider horizon, such hi-tech network will make it feasible for our education to transcend traditional campus or national boundaries. Some institutions are already offering education programmes not just for their own students but for the region, and indeed for the whole world. Regional and international co-operation and exchange will be pivotal to fostering collaboration, promoting best practices and implementing quality assurance mechanism on trans-national education programmes. I am confident that Hong Kong, given its existing communications network and our commitment to further developing our IT infrastructure, will be well placed to become the critical "server" in the Asian distance learning network.
The world is ever-changing and is sometimes unpredictable. Whilst we cannot direct the wind, we can adjust our sails. We are confident that Asia will rebound, and that it will rebound on the springboard of knowledge and innovation. We know from history that investing in education is the least risky venture and is one which will have good returns in the long run. Distance learning will, I am sure, have an increasingly important role to play in this direction. Your meetings over the next three days will be an ideal forum to stimulate thought and share experiences. May I wish you a very successful conference, and to our guests, a most enjoyable stay in Hong Kong. In closing may I leave you with this thought-provoking comment from American philosopher, Eric Hoffer, from his Reflections on the Human Condition: "In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists."
I now here have much pleasure in declaring this conference opened.
End/Wednesday, November 4, 1998
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