Hong Kong should align academic pursuits with creativity

Hong Kong is a small place. Everyone seems to know everyone else, especially in business or government. But the name of Yeung Kin-man is not so well known, yet earlier this month he donated HK$200 million to City University of Hong Kong.

This is among the largest private donations made by an individual to a Hong Kong institution to support higher education and research. He has attached no conditions to his generous gift.

Born and bred in Hong Kong, he is an outstanding yet low-key entrepreneur who breaks with commonly held perceptions of successful elites and billionaires. His down-to-earth attitude distinguishes him as a rare model in a society that places a high premium on fame and external attributes.

Mr Yeung is a top specialist in high-tech optical technology. He set up his business, Biel Crystal, on the mainland, in Shenzhen and Huizhou. He has used his exceptional foresight and innovation to great effect. Biel Crystal is now worth HK$110 billion.

He is living proof that you don't always need a degree to aim high in life.

Hong Kong places a huge amount of pressure on young people to enter university. The assumption is that getting the degree is what counts, rather than the usefulness of the content of the curriculum. This is the wrong way of looking at tertiary education. A degree serves primarily as proof of a certain level of qualification, and gets you a job interview. But it cannot guarantee a satisfactory job or fruitful life.