THE Open Learning Institute (OLI) is to capitalise on its proximity to China to enable new courses for local students as well as for the mainland's vast distance education market.
The proposed $30 million China Link Fund has already generated several collaborative projects with top mainland institutes, according to director Professor Tam Sheung-wai.
In the wake of Professor Tam's first official visit to the mainland since taking office in September, the OLI has confirmed the launch of a new Chinese Law programme conducted by the China University of Political Science and Law as an OLI undergraduate programme available to students in Hong Kong.
Also underway are a number of Putonghua programmes targeted at civil servants and expatriates in the territory, conducted by the Beijing Language and Culture University.
Professor Tam, the former deputy vice-chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said more joint-venture programmes were in the pipeline.
He said the six-member delegation which visited Beijing, Shanghai and Sichuan found that the increasing demand for qualified professionals in China was not being met, due to the lack of high-quality business post-graduate programmes.
'Distance learning in China at the moment is still limited to post-secondary programmes conducted mainly through radio and television, usually without proper course materials.
