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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 Award Presentation Ceremony of Chief Executive's Award for Teaching Excellence today (July 10):
Reporter: What do you think about the Chinese University's decision or their suggestion to do this? Do you think (the scheme to admit exceptional students straight to Year 2 of its medical programme) …
Secretary for Education: When the announcement was made, you can see that the immediate responses from both parents, students and other institutions. So this is fundamentally important, and I do have my own reservation as well. On the education system-wise of the 3-3-4 system, if you look at the real spirit, the reason why we add one more year from the three-year university education to become four, we would like to have a broader, various aspects of learning for that extra year, and fundamentally for whole person development. With the claimed proposed cut of that one year, will that be able to match and align with the spirit and the fundamental objective of the new education system? That will be the first question to be answered. Second one relates to the professional standing. I understand the Medical Council as well as the related assessment committee are looking into the subject right now seriously and publicly. And I also recognise that the UGC, the University Grants Committee, already wrote to the Chinese University for more clarification and details. Indeed the Education Bureau also wrote to the institute about the status and the background. If you look at all these together, I believe the Chinese University, as a responsible and very prestigious educational institution, definitely would take very serious reconsideration on the subject. Thank you.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Friday, July 10, 2015
Issued at HKT 20:20
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