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Following is a question by the Hon Ip Kin-yuen and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, in the Legislative Council today (November 21):
Question:
There were both students graduating under the new and the old academic structures for senior secondary education in 2012. Among the day school candidates for the first Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSEE) and the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE), 26 431 and 18 212 of them respectively attained results meeting the general entrance requirements for publicly-funded tertiary institutions. On the other hand, the numbers of publicly-funded places provided by publicly-funded tertiary institutions for four-year and three-year undergraduate programmes were both 15 150, and places had to be reserved under each academic structure for students recruited through the non-Joint University Programmes Admissions System (estimated at about 2 500 places). Based on the aforesaid figures, in this year, about 14 000 and 5 700 candidates for HKDSEE and HKALE respectively, albeit having met the general entrance requirements for publicly-funded undergraduate programmes, could not be admitted to such programmes (non-admitted graduates). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it knows the pathways for the non-admitted graduates and, among them, the respective numbers of those who sought further studies abroad, and were admitted to self-financing undergraduate programmes and self-financing associate degree (AD) programmes;
(b) of the respective numbers of self-financing undergraduate programmes offered by each tertiary institution this year and last year, and the respective numbers of places of these programmes; as there were more non-admitted graduates this year as compared to some 5 000 graduates last year, whether it has assessed if the places offered by the new self-financing undergraduate programmes of this year are sufficient to meet the demand; whether it will consider subsidising the non-admitted graduates, in the form of education vouchers or bought places, to study in undergraduate programmes; if it will not, of the reasons for that;
(c) of the number of the graduates who have not been admitted to any undergraduate programmes but have met the entrance requirements for AD programmes; whether it has assessed if the places offered by AD programmes this year are sufficient to meet the demand; which institutions have over-enrolment of students in their AD programmes, and the respective numbers of students over-enrolled; whether it has assessed the increase in the demand for articulation places for the graduates from these AD programmes two years from now as a result of such over-enrolment, and how many articulation places the authorities plan to increase two years later; and
(d) the teaching staff-to-students ratios, the percentages of teaching staff holding a doctoral degree, and the percentages of teaching staff working on a part-time basis for the various self-financing undergraduate programmes and self-financing AD programmes this year and last year; given that the number of students enrolled in these programmes has increased significantly this year as compared to last year, whether the authorities have assessed if there are sufficient teaching staff with appropriate academic qualifications and experience to teach in these programmes?
Reply:
President,
The Government is committed to providing quality, flexible and diversified study pathways with multiple entry and exit points for secondary school leavers. We also support the parallel development of the publicly-funded and self-financing post-secondary education sectors. In 2012, the first cohort of students sitting the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSEE) and the last cohort of day school students sitting the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) completed their secondary education at the same time, and there were over 100 000 day school candidates in total sitting these two examinations. On top of about 38 000 undergraduate places, local post-secondary institutions, both publicly-funded and self-financing, also offer over 39 500 full-time locally-accredited sub-degree places and some 35 000 continuing education and vocational training places in the 2012/13 academic year. Students may take degree, sub-degree or other programmes according to their interests, aspirations and abilities.
(a), (b) and (c) Of the 70 300 day school candidates sitting the HKDSEE and the 31 300 day school candidates sitting the HKALE in 2012, about 26 400 and 18 200 met the minimum entrance requirements for local undergraduate programmes respectively, whereas 47 800 and 27 300 satisfied the minimum entrance requirements for local sub-degree programmes respectively (Note).
Apart from 30 300 publicly-funded undergraduate places, some 7 700 places in full-time locally-accredited self-financing undergraduate programmes are offered in the 2012/13 academic year (representing an increase of about 70% over the 2011/12 academic year). According to the data provided by the institutions, a total of 6 800 students have been admitted to self-financing undergraduate programmes in the 2012/13 academic year. Therefore, there are still self-financing undergraduate places available to meet the needs of eligible secondary school leavers in the 2012/13 academic year. The estimated numbers of places in full-time locally-accredited self-financing undergraduate programmes and the numbers of such programmes offered in the 2011/12 and 2012/13 academic years are set out at Annex A.
As for sub-degree programmes, apart from the 9 300 publicly-funded places, about 30 200 places in full-time locally-accredited self-financing sub-degree programmes are offered in the 2012/13 academic year. According to the data provided by the institutions, about 29 500 students have been admitted to self-financing sub-degree programmes in the 2012/13 academic year. Overall speaking, there are sufficient self-financing sub-degree places to meet the needs of eligible secondary school leavers in the 2012/13 academic year. A breakdown of the estimated and actual intakes of sub-degree programmes by institution in the 2011/12 and 2012/13 academic years is at Annex B. Regarding individual incidents of over-enrolment, we understand that the institutions concerned have taken action to address the issue, including providing additional teaching facilities, appointing additional teachers with relevant qualifications and experience, and procuring additional teaching equipment. The Education Bureau (EDB) will closely monitor the situation.
According to a questionnaire survey recently conducted by the EDB on this cohort of HKDSEE graduates through their schools, about 7% of the graduates (or some 4 900 students out of a total of 70 300 day school candidates sitting the HKDSEE) have chosen to pursue further studies outside Hong Kong. Although we have not conducted a similar survey on HKALE graduates, the findings of the Survey on Educational Status of S7 Graduates in the 2010/11 academic year showed that about 4.5% (or about 1 200) of such students chose to pursue full-time post-secondary programmes outside Hong Kong.
On financial assistance, the Government has introduced a number of schemes that provide grants, low-interest loans and non-means-tested loans to ensure that no eligible students are denied access to post-secondary education due to a lack of means. At present, the level of financial assistance for students taking self-financing post-secondary programmes is comparable to that offered to students in publicly-funded programmes. Moreover, the Government has established a $3.5 billion Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund to enhance the quality of teaching and learning of the self-financing post-secondary education sector and provide scholarships for students in that sector. We also have a basket of measures in place to facilitate the development of the sector. As such, we do not see the need to provide assistance for students taking self-financing programmes in the form of education vouchers at this stage.
The sub-degree qualification itself is a valuable standalone qualification, as well as a progression pathway to further studies or employment. The Government encourages lifelong learning under the Qualifications Framework. To open up more study pathways for sub-degree graduates, we have doubled the number of senior year undergraduate places funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC) to 8 000 a year (i.e. around 4 000 intakes) by phases starting from the 2012/13 academic year. This will provide outstanding sub-degree graduates with more opportunities for articulation to the last two years of undergraduate programmes under the New Academic Structure. As for self-financing top-up degree programmes, the number of intake places has been doubled from around 3 000 in the 2010/11 academic year to 6 500 in the 2012/13 academic year to provide even more opportunities for sub-degree graduates to pursue further studies.
On employment, the Government will continue to promote the sub-degree qualification and enhance its recognition in the job market.
(d) The teaching staff-to-students ratios and the highest qualifications held by the teaching staff of full-time locally-accredited self-financing undergraduate and sub-degree programmes offered by post-secondary institutions in the 2011/12 academic year are set out at Annex C. The corresponding statistics for the 2012/13 academic year are not yet available since they are still being compiled by the institutions.
According to the data provided by the institutions, the number of intakes for full-time locally-accredited self-financing undergraduate and sub-degree programmes was about 31 600 in the 2010/11 academic year, while the respective number in the 2012/13 academic year is about 36 300, representing an overall increase of about 14% over the 2010/11 academic year. (For the 2011/12 academic year, as there were no day school candidates sitting the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination, that year's figure does not form a suitable basis for comparison.)
The Government attaches great importance to the quality assurance of post-secondary education. The Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) is responsible for the quality assurance of all operators and programmes except the UGC-funded institutions with self-accrediting status. The HKCAAVQ assures, among others, that sufficient teaching staff with appropriate qualifications and experience are employed for locally-accredited self-financing sub-degree and undergraduate programmes. As for the UGC-funded institutions with self-accrediting status, quality assurance procedures are in place to monitor the quality of their programmes.
Note: For HKDSEE candidates applying for the 4-year undergraduate programmes, the minimum general entrance requirements are Level 3 or above in Chinese Language and English Language, and Level 2 or above in Mathematics (Compulsory Part) and Liberal Studies. Apart from the four core subjects, individual institutions may also specify the entrance requirements for individual faculties/programmes as well as other admission requirements. At present, institutions generally require applicants to have attained Level 2 or 3 in one or two elective subjects. In 2012 HKDSEE, 26 300 day school candidates attained "3322" or better in core subjects and Level 2 or above in one elective subject, and 22 300 day school candidates attained "3322" or better in core subjects and Level 3 or above in two elective subjects.
The minimum general entrance requirements for sub-degree programmes are five subjects at Level 2 or above (including Chinese Language and English Language) in the HKDSEE or equivalent.
Ends/Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Issued at HKT 13:00
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