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The Education Bureau today (December 22) invited expressions of interest for the Queen's Hill site (the Site) for the development of self-financing tertiary education. The expression of interest exercise is open to post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong and other interested parties.
"We estimate that the Site will provide a gross floor area of more than 100,000 square metres and is suitable for the development of self-financing tertiary institution(s) with boarding facilities. The Site is expected to provide some 8,000 self-financing degree places. Subject to responses received in the expression of interest exercise, we will proceed to the next stage and invite detailed proposals," a spokesman for the bureau said.
"To enhance Hong Kong's status as a regional education hub, we welcome local institutions and institutions outside Hong Kong to express their interest. The Queen's Hill site demonstrates our strong commitment to promoting the development of self-financing tertiary education in Hong Kong. With this sizeable site, we hope to see more quality self-financing degree places, so as to offer a bigger and wider choice of degree opportunities to our secondary school graduates.
"The exercise is the first step for us to gauge response. At a later stage, we will take into account the responses received with a view to formulating the land disposal arrangements for the Site, including the allocation criteria and timing. Details will be announced in due course," the spokesman added.
The tertiary institution(s) to be operational at the Site should be non-profit-making and run on a self-financing basis. The Site will be granted at nominal premium. In addition, the Government also runs a Start-up Loan for Post-secondary Education Providers Scheme to provide interest-free start-up loans to finance the construction of college premises. The scheme may be extended to the Site concerned, depending on the merits of the case.
Reply forms for expressions of interest can be downloaded from the website of the Information Portal for Accredited Self-financing Post-secondary Programmes (www.ipass.gov.hk/eng/eoi.aspx). Interested parties are required to express interest by submitting the reply form by March 31, 2011 to the Further Education Division, Education Bureau, 11/F, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The reply form can also be submitted by fax to (852) 2899 2967 or by email to sls_lgs_enq@edb.gov.hk.
Details of the Site are at Annex.
Ends/Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Issued at HKT 12:01
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