Hong Kong looks for foreign students

David Chen

Last Updated: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:17:00 +1100

Hong Kong plans to expand its education sector to take in more foreign students, and invite overseas schools and universities to work there.

The former British colony's chief executive, Donald Tsang, says education will become an "economic pillar "for the Chinese special administrative region.

In a policy address to Hong Kong's Legislative Council, Mr Tsang said "Our objective is to enhance Hong Kong's status as a regional education hub, boosting Hong Kong's competitiveness and complementing the future development of the mainland."

Efforts are also be made to attract more mainland Chinese students.

Opposition

There is a way to go: in 2008, Hong Kong hosted about 9,000 non-local students, or just over one percent of the total in its secondary and tertiary education.

Professor Gerard Postiglione, an education academic at Hong Kong University, says there may be some opposition to the scheme.

He told Connect Asia: "There are certainly some sectors of the population which have already expressed concern that some of the secondary schools . . . might be the 'detrimental to opportunity of local students'."

He says as well as concern about sufficient places for Hong Kong's existing students, there are worries about the quality of education if private providers come in.

But in his opinion students will benefit from the internationalisation of education institutions.

The academic says at the moment 60 percent of secondary school leavers go on to post-secondary education, with a large number heading overseas to places like Australia to study.

Inevitable

Private college education is new for Hong Kong, but experts say it is inevitable given that neighbours South Korea, China and Thailand have already gone in that direction.

Dr Gaby Ramia, a policy analyst at Sydney University in Australia, says: "As part of what some are calling the Asian Century, Asian countries have been more and more competitive in higher education.

"We've noticed, for example, more students have been staying at home in Asian countries."

But despite Hong Kong's plans to compete in schooling, Dr Ramia says Australia - with an overseas education sector under some pressure - should not be worried yet.

"I don't think there will be a major threat from Hong Kong directly to Australia at this stage."