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Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, at a media session after attending the Chief Executive's Question and Answer Session in the Legislative Council today (July 11):
Secretary for Education: Providing quality and world-class higher education is an important policy objective of the HKSAR Government. The Education Bureau announced today that through open application procedures and vetting by an independent committee, the ex-Victoria Road Detention Centre site at Mount Davis would be allocated to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in order to establish a campus in Hong Kong. Chicago Booth will offer its flagship Executive Master of Business Administration, well known as EMBA, programme. It also plans to offer a variety of executive education courses.
We welcome the decision of Chicago Booth to establish its presence in Hong Kong. This academic institution is consistently recognised as one of the best business schools in the world, with operations in a number of countries. Chicago Booth's presence in Hong Kong, with its world-class faculty, will provide high-quality continuing education opportunities for finance and business professionals in Hong Kong and serve as a platform for international exchange.
The Economist Intelligence Unit just announced a study on the best international education destinations in the world. Hong Kong ranks third among 80 cities. It shows the recognition of the achievements and standing of higher education in Hong Kong.
Chicago Booth's establishment of a campus in Hong Kong will certainly further strengthen Hong Kong's position as a regional education hub, Asia's premier business city as well as an international financial centre. It is a piece of good news for Hong Kong and definitely a reconfirmation of the competitiveness of Hong Kong. Thank you.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Thursday, July 11, 2013
Issued at HKT 12:28
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