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Following is a speech (English only) by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, at the opening session of the Lifelong Learning Forum at City University of Hong Kong today (Saturday):

Professor Lee, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I am pleased to be invited to officiate at this Forum on lifelong learning. I must, first of all, congratulate the Federation of Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions on organising this event. I can see a lot of wisdom in today's programme. As reflected in the list of participants and discussion topics, the development of continuing education requires the concerted efforts of the educators, employers and the Government. The theme of the Forum, enhancing competitiveness, is also a timely one as Hong Kong is presently undergoing a period of economic adjustment, in the face of increasing challenges posed by a fast-changing world.

In his 1998 policy address, the Chief Executive has promulgated his vision to develop Hong Kong into a "Learning Society" so that we can maintain our competitiveness in a globalised, knowledge-based economy.

One of the prerequisites of a "Learning Society" is that education should be accessible by all those who aspire to it, irrespective of their age, sex and previous qualifications. "Education for all", an ideology propounded by Confucius centuries ago, is now embodied in the motto of the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK). Indeed, it is in pursuit of this belief that the Government established the OUHK, formerly known as the OLI, in 1989. It has a unique mission of providing a second chance for those who had to forego or were denied education in early years, or whose requirements for further education develop relatively late in life. Within a short span of nine years, the OUHK has matured into a self-financing, self-accrediting university. I am pleased to see that OUHK is now one of the key providers of continuing education.

Another important feature of a "Learning Society" is the community's strong belief in lifelong learning - whether for career advancement, retraining, or merely for personal interest. I am proud to be a member of a community that treasures learning. It is estimated that about 320,000 people in Hong Kong are now receiving continuing education at the higher education level. That is about one in ten of our workforce. Also, I understand that despite the recent economic climate, enrolment figures in most continuing and professional programmes over the past two years have in fact increased rather than decreased. This testifies to the growing demand for self-improvement in a period of economic transformation.

There are, of course, many continuing and professional education providers alongside the OUHK. The Government is fully committed to the cause of continuing education as a key component of the human resources development strategy of Hong Kong. First, we have provided funding support in selected areas. For instance,

- the Education Department runs or funds a number of adult education programmes at primary or secondary levels; and

- the Employees Retraining Board (ERB), through the constant injection of funds from the Government, allocates funds to support a number of training institutions for providing more than 140 training courses in 124 centres. The Board spent more than $330 million last year to support these courses.

We also offer financial incentives to encourage the public to pursue continuing education. For example:

- Some years ago, we injected $50 million to help the OUHK set up a Student Loan Fund for needy students. To meet increase in demand, we have recently allocated another $50 million.

- We have also, starting from the current academic year, expanded the scope of the non-means-tested loan scheme by including students from the OUHK as well as part-time students participating in government-subsidized tertiary programmes.

- We have introduced a tax relief for self-education expenses.

The Government also seeks to promote quality and diversity in the provision of continuing education. We are pleased to see a variety of non-local programmes. In order to ensure the quality of non-local programmes and guard against substandard programmes, we have enacted the Non-local Higher and Professional Education (Regulation) Ordinance to provide a legal basis for regulating the quality, operation and promotion of courses run by non-local higher and professional education organizations in Hong Kong. These courses complement those provided by local operators and instill an element of healthy competition.

The Government would like to see a well-structured education and training ladder, which will in time cover most and if not all of the continuing education and training courses. As a first step, the Government will develop a qualification framework for programmes provided by the Vocational Training Council and Employees' Retraining Board. This will provide an objective yardstick to assess the skills standards of trainees and will help secure employers' confidence in and recognition of the qualifications. We aim to draw up preliminary proposals by the end of this year.

As a related exercise, the Government would like to take a critical look at the role of continuing education in the overall academic system and its interface with other sectors. As a first step, we will take stock of the existing provision of Hong Kong's continuing education and co-operate closely with other government departments and relevant organizations, with a view to facilitating the formulation of long-term objectives and strategies in Hong Kong in a more concrete manner.

Some of you may be aware that the Government announced yesterday that working hand-in-hand with training bodies, voluntary organisations and the business sector, we would launch a pre-employment training programme for young school leavers in September. The programme would include a variety of practical training courses, including the training of computer application skills. I mention this programme here because I welcome the participation of local continuing education providers in the programme. My bureau will initiate discussion with the institutions shortly. I look forward to your support in this worthwhile exercise.

Finally, I note that there is a very rich programme ahead of you today, and I have no doubt that your discussions and debates will help shape the further development of continuing education in Hong Kong in the next century.

Thank you.

End/Saturday, June 26, 1999

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