THE convenor of the Preliminary Working Committee (PWC) has recently stated that the 561 mainland universities approved by the Chinese State Council should be recognised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (South China Morning Post, October 18).
I think this runs contrary to the basic principle of 'one country, two systems'.
Due to historical reasons, the educational system and academic standards of degree holders in mainland China and Hong Kong are completely different. It would therefore be an oversimplification to adopt the policy of mutual recognition.
The reasons for this are twofold. Firstly, mutual recognition of academic qualifications may jeopardise the standards of professionals, such as medical doctors and solicitors, after 1997.
Although the PWC tries to alleviate such fears by adding that recognising mainland academic qualifications does not necessarily mean recognising their professional status, I think this elaboration does not dispel all Hong Kong people's worries.
Apart from professionals, the policy of mutual recognition may also affect the standard and performance of general posts - such as administrative officers and executive officers of the Government, executive trainees of private firms and reporters - which require only a degree from a recognised university.