Graduates were told to use the knowledge gained at university to confront the challenges which lay ahead and help society.
At the University of Hong Kong's 158th congregation, held in the Hong Kong Coliseum, vice-chancellor Professor Cheng Yiu-chung said graduation marked the start of their contribution to the community.
'It is the start of the application of the knowledge and skills the university has given you in the service of others.
'The award of your first degree today is also your passport to the exciting learning opportunities which lie before you in greater profusion now than ever before.' Quoting from poet T S Eliot's Four Quartets , he said: 'To make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.' He emphasised the importance of education to nurture professional manpower in the 21st century.
Hong Kong must possess the human resources capable of meeting the requirements of the fast-changing and knowledge- based economy of the new millennium, he said.
Education was fundamental in cultivating the abilities of the workforce and providing them with the ability to use information and technology.
'These are key elements in creating wealth and employment in a knowledge-based economy,' Professor Cheng said.
