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The Government has endorsed the overall strategies and directions recommended in the "Aspirations for the Higher Education System in Hong Kong" report published by the University Grants Committee (UGC) in December last year.
A spokesman for the Education Bureau said today (November 3) that the Government was committed to providing diversified and flexible pathways with multiple entry and exit points for young people. This would be achieved by supporting the parallel development of both the publicly-funded sector and the self-financing sector as a single interlocking system.
"We are pleased to note the report's assessment that the post-secondary education system is in good health. In response to the UGC's advice, we announced last year our plan to double the provision of publicly-funded senior year places. Taking into account the additional UGC-funded places and development of the self-financing sector, we estimate that by the 2014/15 academic year, over one-third of young people in the relevant age cohort will have the opportunity to pursue degree-level education (including first year and senior year intakes). Including sub-degree places, over two-thirds of the relevant age group will have access to post-secondary education. Over one-fifth of sub-degree graduates may articulate to full-time accredited degree education," the spokesman added.
To make the pathways clearer and facilitate interflow between different sectors in post-secondary education, the UGC will be invited to work with UGC-funded institutions to launch a centralised, user-friendly portal for the disclosure of comprehensive and relevant information on publicly-funded senior year articulation opportunities.
The Government also supports in principle the development of a vertical Credit Accumulation and Transfer System (CATS) to facilitate articulation from sub-degree programmes to senior year undergraduate entry. The core components of a versatile, vertical CATS will be proposed, including a common credit unit, and extensive bilateral agreements between individual institutions and transparent disclosure of these agreements.
In tandem with the continual expansion of post-secondary education opportunities, it is equally important to uphold and enhance the quality of the education experience for our students.
To advise the Government on the development of the higher education sector from macro and strategic perspectives and promote good practices, a Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education will be formed.
"Consistency and coherence in quality assurance standards are pivotal to maintaining the credibility of the education system and promoting interflow of students. We will explore the possibility of eventually setting up a single quality assurance body, and consider that all post-secondary institutions should be subject to some form of regular external scrutiny in the context of quality assurance," the spokesman said.
To complement the self-accrediting responsibilities of parent institutions, external periodic quality audits should be conducted by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications on community colleges or self-financing operations at sub-degree level and below that come under the aegis of UGC-funded institutions. This will introduce an element of externality to enhance accountability and quality.
We note the UGC will also pursue greater transparency in the financial relationship between UGC-funded institutions and their self-financing operations, and are supportive of the UGC's work.
Internationalisation enriches campus life and the academic experience of students and faculty members alike. "Given its tremendous benefits, further and deeper internationalisation should be a goal for both the publicly-funded and self-financing post-secondary sectors. On this front, an internationalisation forum would be set up to consider strategy, foster collaboration and share best practices in the area," the spokesman said.
"The Government has all along been giving staunch support to research as we recognise that research is instrumental to maintaining the competitiveness of Hong Kong as a knowledge-based economy. We consider that part of the competitive research funding should be open to applications from the local self-financing degree sector.
"This will allow academics who have both the interest and capability to be engaged in research and scholarship in selected niche areas. This will also help the self-financing degree sector to attract and retain quality staff, and use research to enhance teaching. We will propose an injection into the Research Endowment Fund for such purposes," the spokesman added.
"The recommendations will provide a solid foundation for the further development of our excellent higher education sector on the one hand, and more diversified pathways and a better education experience for students on the other," said the spokesman.
Ends/Thursday, November 3, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:23
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