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Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education welcomes new initiatives in 2014 Policy Address
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The following is issued on behalf of the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education:

     The Chairman of the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education (CSPE), Mr Tim Lui, welcomed the new initiatives related to post-secondary education as announced in the 2014 Policy Address. He said he believes that the new initiatives demonstrate the Government's strong commitment to education and "will support the healthy and quality development of the self-financing post-secondary education sector and broaden students' opportunities in and exposure to further education and learning."

     New initiatives that will benefit the self-financing post-secondary education sector include increasing subsidised undergraduate senior year intake places, providing subsidies to students in pursuing selected self-financing undergraduate programmes, subsidising students to participate in exchange programmes and establishing a $1 billion fund to support the sustainable development and implementation of the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (QF).

     "A sub-degree is a valuable standalone qualification as well as a pathway to further studies or employment. The Committee is very pleased to note the proposal to further progressively increase the senior year undergraduate intake places funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC) by 1 000 to 5 000 per annum, starting from the 2015/16 academic year. This will provide even more articulation opportunities for meritorious sub-degree graduates.

     "It is of utmost importance to train the talents and the manpower required to sustain the growth and development of Hong Kong and to succeed in a modern knowledge-based society in a globalised world. We support the proposal to explore a new subsidy scheme for students to pursue self-financing post-secondary undergraduate programmes in specific industries with keen demand for human resources that meet Hong Kong's social and economic needs. This will leverage on the self-financing post-secondary sector to increase subsidised degree places for school leavers and help nurture the requisite manpower to propel the development of Hong Kong."

     Mr Lui also welcomed the subsidies for needy students pursuing full-time locally accredited programmes at sub-degree and undergraduate levels to participate in exchange programmes to broaden their horizons, and the proposed establishment of an endowment fund of $1 billion to provide long-term support for the sustainable development of the QF to safeguard the quality of the education and training sectors.

     The CSPE was established in April 2012 for the implementation of the relevant recommendations in the Higher Education Review conducted by the UGC in 2010. The CSPE serves as a platform for discussing strategic issues of common interest to the sector, as well as formulating and promoting good practices.

     Details of the initiatives can be found in the 2014 Policy Address (www.policyaddress.gov.hk).

Ends/Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Issued at HKT 16:18

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