*******************************************
The following is a question by the Hon Frederick Fung and a written reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, in the Legislative Council today (January 14):
Question:
Regarding the programme validation service provided by the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation (HKCAA) for private institutions since 2000, will the Government inform this Council of:
(a) the procedure and criteria adopted by HKCAA for validating programmes offered by institutions and the time normally required to complete the validation;
(b) the number of programmes the validation of which were passed within six months and its percentage in all programmes for which validation were completed; and
(c) the names of the programmes the validation of which were passed within six months and the institutions involved, and whether the time taken for validating these programmes was shorter than that normally required; if so, of the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) Upon the submission of full documentation for a programme validation (validation) from an institution, the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation will assemble an independent Panel to examine the documentation, conduct on-site visit and discuss with senior management, staff members and external advisors of the institution. The Panel, comprising suitably qualified local and overseas academics (where appropriate) as well as local industry experts or practitioners, will determine whether the proposed programme of study will be able to meet and be maintained at standards recognised locally and internationally. The principal issues to be considered include programme objectives, programme structure and content, curriculum and syllabus, teaching and learning, staffing, facilities and support, as well as links with the industry or the profession. At present, an institution is required to have passed an institutional review before it completes a validation to demonstrate that it can provide a suitable academic and institutional environment for implementing the proposed programme.
The time required for completing the validation predominantly depends on whether the institution is capable to meet the validation criteria. Conditional approval will be given to allow the institution time to address any outstanding issues. Since 2000, the HKCAA has carried out 52 programme validations for private or self-financed institutions. On average, the time required for an institution to attain conditional approval status is two months (approximately 60 days) from the date of submission of full documentation. For an institution to complete the validation (i.e. fulfillment of all conditions), the average time taken is less than five months (approximately 145 days).
(b) Out of the 52 programme validation exercises, 38 (or 73 %) attained conditional approval status within 10 weeks from the date of submission of full documentation, whereas 20 (or 38 %) completed the validation within six months from the date of submission of full documentation.
(c) The names of the programmes the validation of which were passed within six months and the institutions involved are at Annex.
For these 20 programmes, the average time taken to complete the validation is 115 days, which is relatively shorter than that is normally required. As mentioned in part (a), the completion of validation is due to the readiness of the institution concerned to meet all the validation criteria.
Annex
-----
Programmes offered by private or self-financed institutions that passed programme validation within six months since 2000:
1. Caritas Bianchi College of Careers
Associate Degree in Business
2. Caritas Bianchi College of Careers
Associate Degree in Hospitality Management
3. Caritas Francis Hsu College
Higher Diploma in Accounting Studies
4. Caritas Francis Hsu College
Associate of Business Administration in Tourism and Marketing Management
5. Hang Seng School of Commerce
Associate in Business Administration
6. Hong Kong Institute of Education (Division of Continuing Professional Education)
Associate of Arts (Music)
7. Hong Kong Institute of Education (Division of Continuing Professional Education)
Associate of Science (Information Technology)
8. Hong Kong Institute of Education (Division of Continuing Professional Education)
Associate of Arts (Art and Design)
9. Hong Kong Institute of Education (Division of Continuing Professional Education)
Pre-Associate Degree Foundation Certificate
10. Hong Kong College of Technology
Higher Diploma in Business (Business and Computing)
11. Hong Kong College of Technology
Higher Diploma in Accounting
12. Hong Kong College of Technology
Higher Diploma in Computer Science
13. Hong Kong College of Technology
Higher Diploma in Business with Additional Major in Tourism
14. Hong Kong College of Technology
Higher Diploma in Business with Majors in Marketing, Finance and China Business
15. Hong Kong Shue Yan College
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese Literature and Language
16. Hong Kong Shue Yan College
Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons)
17. Po Leung Kuk Community College
Pre-Associate Degree Programme
18. The Learning Community College
Pre-Associate Degree in General Studies
19. The Learning Community College
Associate Degree in General Studies
20. The Learning Community College
Associate Degree in General Studies (Credit-Based Mode)
Ends/Wednesday, January 14, 2004
NNNN
