Every year, nearly two-thirds of the 35,000 Form Seven graduates fail to get into university, but many of them don't give up, opting to do a diploma first in the hope of converting to a university course. And the number of these students is growing each year.
At the Chinese University of Hong Kong's School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCS), for example, the number of students enrolling in full-time higher diploma programmes soared by nearly 50 per cent last year.
The school's head of academic affairs, Margaret Cheung Wai-fong, said the increase was due to the practicality of the subjects, which enabled graduates to find jobs immediately.
There are more than 2,000 students doing these programmes, which were first launched in 2002 to support the government's initiatives to enhance access to higher education.
The School of Continuing and Professional Studies aims to provide school leavers with greater career and education opportunities.
It has also established 'articulation' agreements with more than 40 overseas universities. This means that students completing associate degree programmes here can transfer to overseas universities.
