LEGISLATION is under way to screen out unaccredited overseas tertiary institutions offering courses in Hong Kong.
An assistant secretary of the Education and Manpower Branch, Raistlin Lau Chun, said the Non-local Higher Education (Regulation) Bill - first raised in the Executive Council in 1993 - would be ready for the November session of the Legislative Council.
'Even though Legco resumes meeting in November, it is beyond the branch's control when the actual bill will come up for discussion,' Mr Lau said.
The bill proposes that courses offered by overseas institutes in Hong Kong should first be properly accredited in their home countries.
And if overseas institutes collaborate with a local university or other post-secondary institute, it will be up to the local body to recognise the academic standing of the course. The bill says no public funds should be allocated for these collaborative ventures.
In April, Campus Post reported that the local market for education programmes, including postgraduate, professional and continuing programmes, had become a lucrative 'export' for both overseas and local institutions. However, many of the programmes failed to maintain academic standards and were not even properly accredited in their home countries.
The only regulation governing overseas courses is the Education Ordinance, which requires institutions to register as schools.