‘Preparation for emigration’ courses under fire in Hong Kong as lawmakers call for inclusion of national security clauses in subsidy conditions
- Lawmakers call for government to subject course providers to national security requirements as part of Continuing Education Fund’s conditions
- Recommendation comes after watchdog last year found marketing materials from some service providers promoted subsidised courses as emigration preparation
Hong Kong legislators have expressed concern that some government-subsidised continuing education courses have been advertised as preparation for emigration and urged authorities to include national security clauses among the conditions for funding.
The Legislative Council’s Public Accounts Committee made the recommendation on Wednesday after the Audit Commission in October found marketing materials from some course providers were inconsistent with the aim of the Continuing Education Fund (CEF) to help Hong Kong transition towards a knowledge-based economy.
The committee said it had “grave concerns” that authorities had failed to “identify such irregularities” as going against the fund’s terms and conditions and questioned whether the relevant bodies had been negligent during their inspections.
“When some training institutions were promoting courses that are reimbursable by the fund, they had used ‘paving the path for emigration’ as a selling point, which is at odds with the fund’s objectives,” committee chairman Peter Shiu Ka-fai said.
“The committee strongly recommends the Labour and Welfare Bureau and the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency [WFSFAA] strengthen their checks and take appropriate regulatory actions, and add guidelines and requirements related to the protection of national security to the terms and conditions of the fund.”
Lawmakers also suggested authorities require course providers to submit their promotional materials for vetting as a prerequisite for registering for the subsidy.
The CEF was launched in 2002 with the aim of supporting residents pursuing continuing education and training, to help the city move towards a knowledge-based economy in response to increasing globalisation.
