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Following is a question by Ir Dr Hon Ho Chung-tai and a written reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, in the Legislative Council today (November 17):

Question :

It has been reported that the Government is planning to allow talented children and their families from the Mainland and overseas to apply for residence in Hong Kong, with a view to alleviating the ageing problem of the local population. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the number of such children it plans to admit per year, as well as their age and nationality requirements;

(b) how the tuition payable by such talented children for studies in Hong Kong will compare to that paid by local children; and

(c) of the measures to ensure that such talented children will stay in Hong Kong for development when they grow up?

Reply :

Madam President,

(a) We have already in place an immigration policy that allows the entry of non-local students (see Remarks) for the purpose of pursuing primary and secondary education at non-public sector schools. We appreciate the merit of having non-local students in our education system, and are now studying how our immigration and related policies may facilitate their entry into Hong Kong for different types of education.

(b) According to the established policy, there will not be direct government subsidy or financial assistance for non-local school children who receive basic education in Hong Kong.

(c) Our population policy aims at building and nurturing a human capital that can sustain our development as a knowledge-based economy. We therefore wish to improve the quality of our population by attracting and retaining talents in Hong Kong. For our long-term development, we see merits in drawing in talent to receive education, apply to stay and make their career upon completion of their tertiary education here.

Remarks:

Non-local students refer to persons entering Hong Kong for the purpose of education with a student visa/entry permit issued by the Director of Immigration. The policy of allowing non-local students to enter Hong Kong for education at non-public sector schools does not apply to residents from the Mainland, Taiwan, and countries that pose potential security or immigration risk to Hong Kong and former Mainland residents who were not settled in Macau by January 14, 1979.

Ends/Wednesday, November 17, 2004

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