Interview: HKU expands with increasing ties with mainland

Source: Xinhuanet | 06-27-2007 09:57

HONG KONG, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The ties between Hong Kong and the mainland's tertiary education have become closer in the past decade, which the University of Hong Kong (HKU) said has spirited up students and propelled the university's campus internationalization scheme.

"Before returning to the motherland, the number of mainland students formed less than 2 percent of our student popularity, but now, it's about 10 percent," said Tsui Lap-Chee, HKU Vice-Chancellor, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The growing number of mainland students was one of the indexes that show the strong connection between Hong Kong and the mainland in the scope of tertiary education, Tsui said.

Prior to his present appointment as head of HKU in 2002, Tsui was a geneticist concentrating on research and teaching overseas. While talking about his view towards the development of Hong Kong's tertiary education since its return to the motherland 10 years ago, he described himself as both an outside and inside viewer.

Collaborations between Hong Kong and mainland colleges has increased. In 1998, HKU and Fudan University in Shanghai together launched an International Master of Business Administration (IMBA)program.

The program has been popular among mainlanders, as well as people from Hong Kong and overseas working in Shanghai, meaning HKU's internationalization has extended to the mainland. In October last year, HKU held its first global alumni convention in Shanghai where there were more than 2,000 HKU alumni.

"Under the 'one country, two system' concept, the first thing we should open up with the mainland is education, the second is scientific research," Tsui said, adding that to make HKU the country's as well as the world's top institute, it has to keep the link with the mainland and to aim at producing talents that are for the whole country.

More and more HKU researchers have won the renowned National Natural Science Awards and become Chinese Academy of Sciences Academicians; in 2005, a State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases and a State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences got into operation at HKU. Tsui was glad that HKU and its scientists have been brought into top levels in the mainland.

Ten years ago, HKU started to promote internationalization in campus. "Students having different cultural experiences can help increase their competitiveness," Tsui said, adding that 25 percent of undergraduate students in HKU have got the chance to go outside Hong Kong for exchange activities.

Last academic year, HKU accommodated some 1,300 undergraduates and researchers from more than 40 countries and regions. In addition, the number of exchange students going abroad and coming into Hong Kong came to 1,322.

According to Tsui, the inflow of mainland students has brought about positive influence on learning atmosphere, and also become awake-up call for local students, who would also become more internationalized through communication with both overseas and mainland students.

Tsui also said that a balanced development is of great importance for nurturing students. "We are working on subject reformation and we hope to train students with critical thinking which is essential for taking up a leading role in the society."

On reforming the university education system from three academic years to four in 2012, Tsui shared a supportive view with heads of all local universities.

"There are many limitations for the three-year undergraduate system," he said, "switching to four-year means not only adding one academic year but also a reform of programs."

In its plan, HKU suggested having more flexibility in the first two years' study module and gradually focusing more on specialty training in the remaining terms.

"We don't want students to learn just one subject," Tsui said, "but we will allow them to have an agile mind which can help make them leading talents in the future."

Editor:Du Xiaodan