My view is that the maximum intake of non-local applicants to HKU, which is 20% of total
intake for undergraduate programme at the moment, should be reduced.
It is undeniable that admitting non-local students to an international education institution
such as HKU is indispensable. It does not only allow HKU to rank high in Universities ranking,
but more importantly, it exposes the students to cultures and values of different nations
through learning with international peers in the same campus. However, including
international students is not the only area that a good University should focus on. Other
qualities, including the condition of learning environment, harmony among the campus and
among the society, should be taken in to account.
In academic year 2013 - 14, HKU admitted about 15.6%, out of a total of 3444 students for
undergraduate programme (HKU, 2013). The figures have soared from 2005, when the
Education Bureau approved to increase the intake quota of non-local undergraduates to 20%
of total number of student intake (Southern China Daily News, 2013). An increasing trend of
non-local students intake has been observed ever since (HKU, 2013). Although the amount of
non-local students intake is yet to reach its maximum quota, problems are already bubbling
from the rapid rise in non-local students admission.
From local’s perspective, the huge amount of non-local students intake has undoubtedly put
pressure on local applicants. A higher admission quota of non-local students means a smaller
amount of places available for local applicants. Severe competition among local and non-local
applicants is therefore resulted. Moreover, problems are not limited to the pre-admission
stage. According to a research carried out by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 77% of
mainland students stayed in Hong Kong after their graduations in 2011 (Southern China
Daily News, 2013). This influx of Mainland graduates, who stay and apply for jobs in Hong
Kong after graduating from local institutions, might reduce job vacancies for local graduates.
With increasing demands for both local University places and career opportunities, the
University of Hong Kong should take appropriate steps to cater for these increasing local
demands.
Not only may over-admission of non-local students harm the interests of local students, it is
also not preferable to non-local students. Due to admission of a number larger than that it
can support, it is highly possible that there is not enough of corresponding resources or
facilities to support the amount of non-local students intake. Housing is, among some other
problems arose, one of the biggest concerns. This can be observed from the incident that the
Lung Wah Residential Colleges quitted a vast number of residents last summer. The recent
case that Liu Dingning, the cream of Liaoning this year, withdrew her studies from HKU due
to being not familiar with HKU’s learning environment is yet another example (Hong Kong
Daily News, 2013). While the reasons behind these phenomena might be multifold, they are
signs that HKU is not yet ready to accommodate the large number of non-local students in its
campus.
This trend is not sustainable. While it is true that, in some aspects, injecting non-local
students to Hong Kong provides an edge to the University as well as to the city, the
University should not blindly increase the admission of non-local students without truly
catering their needs which accompany with the increase in admission; nor should it overlook
the cries of the locals which therefore arise. To remain as one of the top Universities and to
maintain the high standard of education and research, HKU should first focus on its
refinement of campus supporting services before it admits more non-local students. The
maximum intake quota of 20% of non-local undergraduate students is too high an amount for
HKU to handle for now.
References:
HKU. (2013). Nonlocal Students Figures. The University of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Daily News. (2013 October 15). 不要獎學金 回老家考北大 內地女狀元剃港大眼
眉. Hong Kong Daily News. Retrieved October 15, 2013 from
http://www.hkdailynews.com.hk/news.php?id=301826
Southern China Daily News. (2013 April 18). 留下還是離開？在港內地生的“七年之癢”.
Southern China Daily News. Retrieved October 15, 2013 from
http://www.scdaily.com/News_intro.aspx?Nid=67204
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