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The 2015 Mainland Higher Education Expo, jointly organised by the Ministry of Education and the Education Bureau (EDB), is being held today and tomorrow (November 7 and 8) at the Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre. The Expo will enable students aspiring to pursue further studies on the Mainland to gain a better understanding of the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions (Admission Scheme) in 2016, and also provides information on the participating institutions and their programmes.
Speaking at the Expo's opening ceremony this morning, the Permanent Secretary for Education, Mrs Marion Lai, said that the increase in the number of participating institutions to 84 under the 2016 Admission Scheme and the provision of specialised programmes by some of the newly joined institutions would allow students to choose from a wide array of institution and programme choices and diversified pathways.
She said the Admission Scheme has been well received by Hong Kong students, noting that more than 12,700 students had filed applications under the Admission Scheme in the past four years and, among them, over 5,100 were admitted into Mainland higher education institutions.
The Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng, visited some exhibition booths of Mainland higher education institutions to learn about the information on faculties and subjects offered to participants.
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, accompanied by Mrs Lai and the Director of the Office for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs of the Ministry of Education, Ms Yu Bin, visited the Expo to understand the arrangements under the Admission Scheme.
Mrs Lam thanked the Ministry of Education for catering to Hong Kong students with special education needs in the admission principles for institutions and thus offering them another choice of study pathway, as well as increasing the quota on the number of students nominated by each secondary school in Hong Kong under the School Principal Nomination Scheme from three to five.
Mrs Lam then talked to some students and parents visiting the Expo to understand their views on studying on the Mainland, and introduced to them the Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme launched by the Government last year. The scheme supports Hong Kong students in need who wish to pursue undergraduate studies on the Mainland under the Admission Scheme. She also chatted with some Hong Kong students currently studying at Mainland higher education institutions to hear about their study and career plans.
The Expo is open to the public today from 10am to 7pm and tomorrow from 10am to 6pm at the Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre. Admission is free.
The 84 Mainland higher education institutions participating in the 2016 Admission Scheme will set up exhibition booths and organise talks to provide information on aspects such as faculties and subjects, admission criteria, the number of places and tuition fees. During the event, there will be talks by the Ministry of Education on details of the application procedures and admission arrangements under the Admission Scheme.
There will also be briefing sessions conducted by representatives from the institutions on the characteristics and career prospects of individual programmes. Some Hong Kong graduates from Mainland institutions will talk about their study life on the Mainland at sharing sessions. In addition, representatives from the education and business sectors will give talks on the career prospects of students after their graduation from Mainland higher education institutions.
The EDB and the Hok Yau Club have jointly compiled the "Handbook on the Scheme for the Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions". The handbook provides comprehensive information on the scheme and further study on the Mainland, including information on all of the institutions participating in the scheme, the programmes offered, strategies on programme choices, and sharing by graduates of Mainland universities. The handbook will be distributed free of charge at the Expo. The e-version will also be posted on the website of the EDB after the Expo (www.edb.gov.hk/expo15).
Ends/Saturday, November 7, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:45
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