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Following is a question by the Hon Ng Leung-sing and a reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, in the Legislative Council today (July 7):

Question:

It has been reported that the Public Opinion Programme of an institution funded by the University Grants Committee ("UGC") has recently been commissioned by a commercial establishment to conduct an opinion survey on the ranking of universities in Hong Kong, and the survey findings have attracted much criticism from the tertiary education sector. As UGC is responsible for monitoring the academic standards of the UGC-funded institutions, and the Secretary for Education and Manpower has said that it is in the wider interest of the community as a whole that UGC should play a more proactive role in steering and facilitating the development of the entire higher education sector, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows if UGC:

(a) has assessed if the research methodology of the survey is scientific and objective, as well as fair and reasonable to the universities concerned, and the impacts of the survey findings on the universities; if it has, of the assessment results;

(b) has taken measures to eliminate the possible misconceptions in the community caused by the survey, so as to foster an environment conducive to the healthy development of local universities in terms of teaching and research, as well as fair competition among them; if it has, of the relevant details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(c) has formulated criteria or guidelines to ensure that the opinion survey agencies or programmes of such institutions can still maintain and enhance their academic research standards when conducting research studies commissioned by commercial establishments?

Reply:

Madam President,

The main function of the University Grants Committee (UGC) is to offer impartial and expert advice to the Government on the development and funding of higher education in Hong Kong, and to provide assurance to the Government and the community on the standards and cost-effectiveness of the operations and activities of the UGC-funded institutions.

However, there is a great difference between the role of the UGC to consider and monitor the development (including academic standards) of the higher education sector as a whole, and the UGC taking any position on a specific piece of commissioned work. Not only would it be quite wrong, in terms of academic freedom and institutional autonomy for the UGC to make any comment on the conduct of this survey, the UGC is also in no position to assess whether the survey methodology is scientific, objective, fair and reasonable.

Each of the UGC-funded institutions is an autonomous body with its own Ordinance and Governing Council. They enjoy unfettered academic freedom and considerable institutional autonomy in main areas such as the control of curricula and academic standard, the selection of staff and students, as well as the internal allocation of resources. The institutions can provide for profit or otherwise advisory, consultancy, research and other related services in accordance with their respective governing legislation. The Administration and the UGC fully respect the institutional autonomy of tertiary institutions in their academic development and internal management, and will not seek to interfere with the internal affairs of individual institutions.

Nevertheless, because the institutions are largely supported by public funds and in view of the importance of higher education, the Government and the community at large have legitimate interest in the operation of the institutions to ensure that they are providing the highest possible standard of education in the most cost-effective manner. In this respect, the UGC acts as a "buffer", safeguarding the academic freedom and institutional autonomy of the institutions on the one hand, and ensuring value for money for the taxpayers on the other.

In a more positive vein, let me assure the Honourable Member that the UGC is very mindful of the need to foster an environment conducive to the development of all UGC-funded institutions as well as healthy competition and deep collaboration among them. To this end, the UGC has been closely working with the institutions to ensure that such goals can be achieved, through taking a strategic approach to our higher education system and appropriate allocation of funds. Let me explain.

To promote a healthy development of the local higher education sector, the UGC recently published a roadmap document "Hong Kong Higher Education - To Make A Difference, To Move with Times" which advocates the development of an interlocking but differentiated system where the whole higher education sector is viewed as one force in the regional and international arenas of higher education. Each institution should fulfill a unique role based on its strengths. In view of the level of international competition as well as the financial constraints that the higher education sector has to operate within, the UGC has also put in place appropriate tools, mechanisms and incentives to steer institutions towards clear role differentiation, to facilitate deep collaboration among institutions in advancement of their respective roles, and to allow excellence to emerge through fair and constructive competition.

In addition, the UGC has put in place a rigorous process to examine the Academic Development Proposals submitted by the UGC-funded institutions in the context of their funding proposals. This is to ensure that the institutions' proposals are in line with their respective roles and missions and that they respond positively to community needs.

The UGC-funded institutions have all acquired self-accrediting status and are mindful of the importance of maintaining their academic reputation. On self-financing activities, the institutions are fully aware of the need to uphold academic integrity and standard, and have their own process to ensure that.

In short, let me reassure the Honourable Member that while neither the Administration nor the UGC can comment on a specific survey conducted, it is our continuous efforts to foster an environment conducive to the healthy development of the higher education institutions in Hong Kong.

Ends/Wednesday, July 7, 2004

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