Extra publicly funded university places for associate degree (AD) graduates have been released one year early as the government faces a barrage of criticism from legislators and educators over its sub-degree policy.
Michael Stone, secretary general of the University Grants Committee (UGC), told legislators in March that it planned to double the number of publicly funded second-year degree places for AD students but increases would not start until the 2007-8 academic year at the earliest.
Education Secretary Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung confirmed to the Legislative Council on May 10 that more than 2,000 additional second-year places would be provided in coming years bringing the total to 3,700.
On the same day, the UGC told universities that 127 extra second-year undergraduate places would be created in September with a further 127 to be provided in 2007-8.
The UGC figures revealed that a total of 2,020 places would be created by 2010-11 with the remaining 1,766 allocated over the three-year funding cycle starting in 2008-9.
City University and Polytechnic University won the lion's share, gaining 50 each in 2006-7 and 100 each in 2007-8.