'IT IS A MISSION to me, but a vision to the Chief Executive,' upbeat education chief Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun said recently, after her bureau revealed plans to expand tertiary-level studies in Hong Kong. The vision - to provide 60 per cent of 18- to 20-year-olds with access to higher education - has been applauded by lawmakers and educationalists since Tung Chee-hwa announced the plan in his Policy Address last October.
But the mission - to offer 30,600 associate-degree places by 2010 - has also been criticised by the same groups of people. They say the plan, which will cost more than $19 billion in the next 10 years, might be a waste of money. This is because the students who will benefit from the scheme - those who earned just a couple of credits on their ordinary-level, or O-level, examinations, taken at age 15 or 16 - are simply not good enough for tertiary education.
Others have questioned why associate - rather than bachelor - degree places are the target of expansion, as most youngsters will aim ultimately for the higher-level qualification. Some legislators have argued that the Government will not, in any event, be able to achieve its goal.
'People like to turn good things into bad news,' Mrs Law said.
The Secretary for Education and Manpower explained the rationale behind the mission. Most students whose exam results meet the standards required for a bachelor-degree course, are offered a place at university. But a government manpower survey has indicated there will be a lack of talent in the coming decade. Associate-degree programmes are needed to fill the gap.
'We want students to increase their competitiveness and better adapt to the changes in society. In this sense, we would like to invest in them, as long as they meet basic standards. All countries are talking about ways to expand their tertiary education; this is the trend worldwide,' Mrs Law said.
