US course cheaper than Oxford

The new training programme for civil service administrative officers in the US will cost $150,000 a head, about three-quarters of the cost of the Oxford course.

The three-month course at Michigan University will replace the nine-month course at Oxford University which costs $220,000 per person.

In a reply to David Li Kwok-po, who represents the banking functional constituency, the Secretary for Civil Service, Lam Woon-kwong, said the Michigan course was shorter and more compact.

Mr Lam said that in November 1994, the Civil Service branch invited a number of leading universities to submit proposals for a training programme for administrative officers and Michigan University in the United States best met government requirements.