Majority of non-local students in HK come from mainland, says report
Universities report highlights disproportionate cultural mix on campuses, casting doubt over city's claim as a truly international learning hub
Hong Kong's position as an international education hub has been put into question by a report that reveals that eight out of 10 non-local students at the city's universities are from the mainland.
The annual report of the University Grants Committee, the government body responsible for funding local tertiary educational institutions, found that 8,936 of the 10,770 non-local students were from the mainland, with 1,355 from elsewhere in Asia, including Macau and Taiwan.
The eight institutions funded by the committee welcomed 2,004 students from outside the city in the last academic year, making up 14 per cent of the total intake, well below the maximum quota of 20 per cent.
The report states that internationalisation and engagement with the rest of China are crucial to Hong Kong's future and should be pursued by institutions amid "intense competition globally and regionally".
But local academics say the present student mix is far from being culturally diverse.
"The current percentage of mainland students is just out of proportion," said John Tse Wing-ling, chairman of the City University Staff Association.
"The overall percentage [of non-local students] is more useful for helping institutions climb up international rankings because that is one of the evaluation criteria. Ideally, there should be a greater international mix." Tse called for a redefinition of the term "non-local". "It is ridiculous to categorise mainland students as non-locals - would you call Hawaiians non-continental Americans?"