The major focus of this year's policy address was nurturing economic development and raising Hong Kong's international competitiveness. Therefore, in addition to supporting the four traditional economic pillars, the government has added six new pillar industries to bolster our economic foundation.
The six new areas are education services, medical services, testing and certification services, environmental industries, innovation and technology, and cultural and creative industries. Education is indisputably the most important pillar of our economy. So, besides offering land for the development of private universities and international schools, the government has encouraged schools and institutions to become international to satisfy growing demand. It is hoped that this will maximise our existing education resources and broaden our global vision to develop Hong Kong into a higher-education hub for the region and the world.
With this in mind, the Hong Kong Research Grants Council has recently set up the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, which aims to attract the best and brightest students from around the world to pursue their PhD programmes in Hong Kong. Those who are seeking admission as new, full-time PhD students in any of our seven University Grants Committee-funded institutions, irrespective of their country of origin and ethnic background, can apply.
The fellowship will provide students with a monthly stipend of HK$20,000 and a research-related travel allowance of HK$10,000 per year, for three years.
However, some critics argue that the scheme will bring few long-term benefits. Legislator Cheung Man-kwong, who represents the education sector, believes providing fellowships to overseas students with no strings attached will not raise our research capability in strategic areas. He warned that subsidising foreign students to pursue PhD programmes would be nothing more than picking up someone else's education tab. Hong Kong is an international city, so we should promote our city as a free, pluralistic and civilised society. Cheung, a legislator and an educator, should have a more open attitude.
There are no fellowship schemes anywhere else in the world that demand payback in the form of working locally after graduation. Most fellowships are financial awards with no strings attached. Providers don't often seek repayment; they merely ask that students conduct research as part of the deal, with no further post-graduation obligations.