The Government today (December 16) announced that the Chief Executive had appointed Mr Tim Lui as Chairman of the University Grants Committee (UGC) for a term of three years with effect from January 1, 2023.
 
     The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, welcomed Mr Lui's appointment as the UGC Chairman.
 
     "Mr Lui has been active in public and community service, serving as the Chairman and member of various government advisory and statutory bodies. He is currently the Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission and Education Commission as well as a member of the Exchange Fund Advisory Committee. Mr Lui had previously served as the Chairman of the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education, a member of the UGC and a member of the Council of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, during which he offered invaluable advice on the development of the higher education sector. Mr Lui is enthusiastic about higher education and I am confident that he will lead the UGC to scale new heights, support the higher education sector in attracting and nurturing talent, and guide the sector's further integration into the overall development of our country," Dr Choi said.
 
     Dr Choi also thanked Mr Carlson Tong for his exemplary contribution since his appointment as the Chairman of the UGC in 2016.
 
     "With Mr Tong's outstanding leadership over the past seven years, the UGC has taken forward a suite of major initiatives with significant impact, which propelled the eight UGC-funded universities to scale new heights by leveraging on their unique strengths. Mr Tong championed the signing of the first set of University Accountability Agreements between the UGC and the eight UGC-funded universities, which laid the foundation for good present-day institutional governance. These agreements were updated this year. He also led the UGC in concluding two rounds of triennial planning exercise and ensured that the system moves with the times. Combining the strategic directions and objectives set by the Government in a data-driven and forward-thinking manner, Mr Tong offered insightful advice to the Government on the nurturing of talent and leading of higher education development," Dr Choi said.
 
     "In addition, Mr Tong significantly raised the UGC's emphasis on teaching excellence throughout his tenure. He allocated extra resources for universities to cope with challenges in teaching and learning arising from the pandemic, and to step up support for student-athletes and students with special educational needs, the initiatives of which were well received by the sector. Mr Tong also advocated the deepening of academic exchanges in the higher education sector and supported the establishment of university alliances with places including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Suzhou, and encouraged university students to set sights on global and Mainland opportunities. On the research front, the UGC completed the 2020 Research Assessment Exercise under the leadership of Mr Tong to encourage the pursuit of research excellence and impactful research. The Government has also accepted the UGC's recommendation recently to gradually increase the number of places for research postgraduate students in a bid to inject new impetus to Hong Kong's academic research and innovation and technology development."
 
     The main function of the UGC is to provide impartial and expert advice to the Government on the development and funding of higher education in Hong Kong, and provide assurance to the Government and the community on the standards and cost-effectiveness of the operations and activities of the UGC-funded universities.

Ends/Friday, December 16, 2022
Issued at HKT 19:24

NNNN