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Following is a question by the Hon Tam Heung-man and a reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, in the Legislative Council today (June 7):
Questions:
Some parents of associate degree course graduates have told me that these graduates encounter difficulties in further studies and employment. I have learnt that some employers are unwilling to employ these graduates because they do not know much about their academic level. Besides, not all professional bodies accept such graduates for professional qualifications examinations. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it will consider upgrading the quality of associate degree courses by setting an enrolment limit; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(b) whether it will consider publicising the academic level of associate degree course graduates by various means, such as explaining to employers who have registered job vacancies with the Labour Department, or carrying out large-scale publicity activities, etc; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c) whether the authorities will consider discussing with the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants the acceptance of graduates of accounting associate degree courses for accountant qualification examinations held by the Institute; if they will, of the time to commence the discussion; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) To enhance the quality and competitiveness of the local workforce so as to embrace the challenges and opportunities arising from Hong Kong's development into a knowledge-based economy, the Government announced a policy objective in 2000 that within ten years, 60% of our Secondary Five & Seven school leavers would receive tertiary education. By now, the post-secondary education participation rate has increased to over 60%. The Administration initiated a review of the post-secondary education sector last year to take stock of the development of the sector and to map out the way forward. The findings of Phase One of the review were thoroughly discussed at the Legislative Council Panel on Education meeting on March 27, 2006. Members also put forward valuable views on the development of the post-secondary education sector at the motion debate on May 10, 2006.
Basically, the pace of development of the post-secondary education sector hinges on the demand and supply in a free market. The fact that institutions were able to progressively increase the provision of post-secondary places on a self-financing basis shows that there is a keen and genuine demand for post-secondary education from our Secondary Five & Seven school leavers. Hence, we do not consider it appropriate for the Government to set a ceiling for post-secondary places, nor do we have a legal basis to limit the provision of self-financing post-secondary places which are not supported by any form of government subsidy. In fact, there is no causal relationship between setting an enrollment quota and improving the quality of the associate degree (AD) programmes. Nonetheless, the Administration will actively follow up on the recommendations of the review report, including further discussions with institutions on ways to upgrade the quality of the programmes, improve the learning environment and supporting facilities, and promote the AD qualification.
(b) AD is a standalone educational qualification. AD graduates are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to start work as junior managers or associate professionals. The Report on Review of the Post-secondary Education Sector has recommended the Government to implement measures to promote the AD qualification among employers, for example by enhancing communication between educational institutions and employers so that the courses provided by the institutions can be more responsive to manpower needs, and employers can better understand the academic achievements and relevant abilities of AD graduates. The Government is actively promoting sub-degree (including AD) qualifications to various employer organisations, chambers of commerce and professional bodies, and has planned for a series of promotional activities later this month. Moreover, the Government regularly conducts tracking surveys to gauge employers' views on the performance of sub-degree graduates.
(c) Since the sub-degree programmes offered by individual institutions are different, institutions will directly liaise with the relevant professional bodies on professional recognition arrangements, and the professional bodies will accord the appropriate level of professional recognition to individual programmes having regard to the academic objectives, structures and content of the programmes as well as the learning outcomes. In fact, at present the AD qualification is recognised by more than 20 professional bodies for the purpose of granting exemptions from parts of their professional examinations. We must respect the judgment of the professional bodies regarding recognition of academic qualifications. We also believe that post-secondary institutions would suitably adjust the content of their courses having regard to the requirements of the professional bodies, in order to expand the scope of professional recognition of the AD qualification and enable AD graduates to participate in the relevant professional qualification examinations directly. We will continue our dialogue with various professional bodies (including the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants) to promote the AD qualification, with a view to enhancing the professional bodies’ understanding of this qualification.
Madam President, there are quite a number of Members who are professionals, including Hon Tam Heung-man who raised this question. As this Council has discussed the subject many times, I believe Hon Tam knows it thoroughly, and I hope she can also communicate with her sector to promote the AD qualification.
Ends/Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Issued at HKT 12:49
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