WE are graduates of Morrison Hill Technical Institute's (MHTI) Certificate course in building studies. Before graduating we applied for admission to the Higher Certificate course provided by the Hong Kong Technical Colleges and run by the Vocational Training Council (VTC). We are concerned about the selection system used for this course. We understood that education policy dictated that registered apprentices, who had gained merits, would be given high priority. However, when the admissions list was announced on August 15, we found that some registered apprentices had not been accepted, while some non-registered apprentices with only a pass result, got in. We feel the VTC made selections at random. This is unfair and unreasonable. We spoke to some lecturers at the technical institute who said that a similar problem arose last year. At that time, some of the lecturers talked with VTC officials and explained the situation and it was agreed to open another class, with around 40 places, and this solved the problem. Now, this year, we face the same problem. There are six classes in the Certificate course, with around 230 places, but only two classes in the Higher Certificate course, with only 110 places. This limits students' chances of further study. For the last two years, we have worked hard so that we could achieve the best results possible and move on to a higher level. Now it seems our endeavours have been wasted. This is a ridiculous state of affairs and we deserve to know why it has happened. Why couldn't officials have learned from the mistakes made last year and provided more classes? The final waiting list will be released on August 26. We are running out of time and we feel so helpless. Something should be done to solve the problem now and ensure it does not happen in the future. MHTI GRADUATES Names and addresses supplied
