Mr Chairman, Honoured Guests, Honorary Graduates, Parents, Colleagues, Award Recipients, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the Tenth Congregation of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
I am also extremely delighted to extend a very warm welcome to four senior representatives from our partner institutions on the Chinese mainland, namely, Zhejiang University, Chongqing University, Xi'an Jiaotong University and Nankai University. Let me take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt thanks for their close collaboration with us over the years. This year, a total of 708 mainland students have completed their academic pursuits in our mainland outposts. Among them, 547 have made a special trip to Hong Kong to join us on this happy occasion.
As you may know, our Institution has a long and distinguished history and its origins can be traced back to 1937 with the founding of the Government Trade School in Hong Kong. Situated in Wanchai, the School was a pioneer in providing post-secondary technical education in the territory. The School subsequently went through much development and became the Hong Kong Technical College and later the Hong Kong Polytechnic. Our Institution finally attained full university status on 25 November 1994. As we today celebrate the University's Tenth Congregation, let us review what we have achieved and chart our course of future development for the coming decade.
Although there have been many changes in society over the past 10 years, PolyU remains committed to the University's motto "To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind". We continue to adhere to the University's mission of grooming quality professional manpower for Hong Kong, and shouldering the responsibilities of developing new technologies, extending the frontiers of knowledge, supporting the further development of enterprises and enhancing the competitiveness of our society. As an academic institution with a strong emphasis on the provision of applied research and application-oriented programmes, we have closely adhered to our mission throughout the years. We are committed to preserving the distinct character and ethos of this Institution. With unswerving determination and a firm commitment for the well-being of our community, we have overcome many obstacles and made substantial developments on different fronts. These achievements have provided a solid foundation for the continuous advancement of our Institution in the future. All members of the PolyU community, including Council and Court Members, alumni, staff and students, should be justly proud of the University.
As an educator myself, I am clearly aware that a university, in addition to teaching and conducting research, should also fulfil its very special responsibilities. Not only should we impart knowledge to the younger generation, but also guide them to show concern for the world, probe into and help solve the different problems that confront mankind, thereby improving the well-being of the world community. Another important responsibility of a university is to help students integrate into society. We should help them improve their communication skills and establish their own goals in life. In our Strategic Plan for 2001 to 2008, PolyU has clearly identified its first and foremost mission is to provide an all-round education for our students. With the provision of leadership training programmes and internship opportunities available both in Hong Kong and abroad, we seek to widen our students' horizons, hone their leadership abilities, assertiveness, ability to think independently, analytically, critically and creatively as well as to enhance their language and communication skills. We also actively cultivate students' social awareness, their sense of responsibility and commitment to their own country, cultural and aesthetic abilities, and ability to pursue lifelong learning. We firmly believe that these qualities, coupled with their professional knowledge and skills acquired at this University, will enable our graduates to gain a foothold in society and make a meaningful contribution to the world. This explains why PolyU, on top of our efforts in developing new technologies and creating new knowledge, is committing a considerable amount of resources to the implementation of all-round education and the grooming of future leaders.
On this happy occasion, I am pleased to let you know that our strenuous efforts have won recognition from the community at large. Let me cite two examples to substantiate my point. First, the results of a recent independent survey on the image and identity of PolyU has fully demonstrated that we have achieved several important and most encouraging breakthroughs. The respondents, who included community leaders, employers, parents, secondary school principals, teachers, students, and PolyU alumni, had the following positive comments about us:
- PolyU graduates have been recognized by employers for offering the highest practical value among local graduates.
- PolyU also attained the highest ratings for the practicality of its courses in relation to career development.
- Among the employers surveyed, 35 per cent ranked PolyU graduates as their first choice for recruitment.
- PolyU's progress and unique contributions to tertiary education and the community over the past five years were more widely recognized compared with 1999. While 97 per cent of the respondents recognized PolyU's unique contribution to tertiary education in Hong Kong, 99 per cent of the employers agreed that PolyU has made significant contributions to industry and commerce. About 40 per cent of them remarked that the Institution has made significant progress in uplifting its academic reputation.
- PolyU's close links with industry and business were highly praised.
Second, our excellent results in fund-raising have once again demonstrated the ardent support of the community enjoyed by PolyU. During the period March 2003 to June 2004, we have successfully raised more than HK$200 million from different sectors of the community. Our long list of more than 4,500 generous benefactors included Council and Court members, members of the Council's Fund-raising Committee, as well as community leaders, alumni , staff and students. These donations, together with the Government's approved matching grants, have added up to a grand total of approximately about HK$400 million. With this strong support of the community and the availability of extra resources, PolyU will be well poised to forge ahead with its academic and student development initiatives.
The SAR Government has published a consultative document on revamping the academic structure for senior secondary and higher education. It has proposed the implementation of a "3+3+4" structure and is now soliciting opinions from the general public. The University fully supports this forward-looking proposal from the Government. We firmly believe that the proposed "3+3+4" academic structure is more in tune with the prevailing trends of education communities around the world and is a correct and crucial step forward for the future advancement of education in Hong Kong. As a strong advocate of all-round education, PolyU believes the addition of an extra university year will be extremely beneficial to the grooming of our younger generation. With our credit-based system already in place, the new structure will help to expedite the process of internationalization by more effectively facilitating credit transfer and student exchange. With the addition of one more summer break, we can arrange more activities, such as summer placements and study trips, to foster students' all-round development. We also endorse in principle the designation of Liberal Studies as a core subject in the secondary school curriculum, and we are prepared to review our entrance requirements for possible inclusion of this subject.
Despite substantial funding cuts by the Government in recent years, PolyU and its sister institutions have decided to demonstrate our support for the four-year university curriculum by accepting an extra provision that will only meet part of the full cost of an extra year of study.
At this juncture, we should encourage more members of the community to voice their views on the new academic structure. We should further consider and review other technical issues such as the revision of tuition fees nearer the time of implementation. I believe it is unwise for us to be influenced by these side issues and consequently miss out on this precious opportunity for reforming our education system.
The past year has been full of challenges, but we have also made great strides in further enhancing the quality of our teaching and research, and in supporting the further advancement of enterprises and professional sectors.
Based on our Academic Development Proposal 2005-2008 approved by the University Grants Committee, PolyU has revamped our full-time undergraduate curriculum by putting greater emphasis on inter-disciplinary studies and work-integrated education. We have also restructured some programmes into generic schemes and further expanded our major and minor options. To foster inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary studies so as to broaden our students' outlook, we will introduce more double degree and joint degree programmes in the next triennium. A total of 15 double degree programmes will be offered in the 2005/06 academic year.
Moreover, starting from 2005/2006, all of our degree programmes will include a mandatory work-integrated education component, through which students will gain valuable workplace learning experience during their studies at PolyU.
We have also allocated extra resources to enhance the language proficiency of our graduates by providing language programmes that will suit the needs of individual students. We have also decided that all students enrolled next year will be required to sit for compulsory exit tests in English and Putonghua before their graduation.
As far as research and development are concerned, our work has always been application-oriented, with the objectives of serving commerce and industry and promoting the advancement of our society. Although the road from the research and development stage to making concrete contributions to the community is a long one, PolyU has garnered substantial and invaluable experience and achievements in the areas of advancing technological innovation, serving the community with our research deliverables as well as commercializing our research output. While our well-known space tools Space Holiner Forceps and Mars Rock Corer have already made their mark in different parts of the world, we have also made use of our research deliverables to serve those in need. Earlier this year, local newspapers have given significant coverage to the case of a quadriplegic patient who had lost his will to live and appealed to Legislative Councillors for the legalization of euthanasia. Fortunately, as soon as this incident went to the press and was brought to the attention of our rehabilitation engineering experts, our colleagues were more than willing to offer a helping hand with their professional expertise. Today, I am gratified to report our colleagues, by working closely with the patient's doctor and social workers, have designed a suitable communication device that could simply be controlled by the patient's remaining facial muscle strength. Now he can control such a device with ease, express himself and begin to adapt to daily life once again. Our efforts have indeed helped him to restore his confidence and integrate into society.
All in all, the wide-ranging application value of our research deliverables and their relevance to human society have won encouraging international recognition. In the 32nd International Exhibition of Inventions, New Techniques and Products, which was held in Geneva in April this year, PolyU captured two gold and three silver medals. More recently in September, our researchers have won two gold and two bronze medals in the Fifth China International Invention Expo held in Shanghai.
During the previous congregations, I have repeatedly called for closer integration between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland as well as the bilateral flow of students in their pursuit of further studies, with the ultimate objective of grooming more talents for Hong Kong and the motherland. Today, I am pleased to note that progress has been achieved on both fronts. While the SAR Government has strengthened its collaboration with a wide network of provinces and cities on an unprecedented scale, the local tertiary institutions have also increased their intake of quality mainland students. Taking PolyU as an example, we have recently enrolled a batch of about 150 mainland secondary school-leavers on scholarships or on a fee-paying basis. Upon completion of a foundation year at PolyU, they will begin their undergraduate studies in the next academic year. We have also made a great leap forward toward internationalization. This year we have more than 400 exchange students from the mainland and overseas countries and roughly the same number of outgoing exchange students. We believe such exchange activities will broaden the international horizons of our students, help them appreciate the cultures of their own countries and elsewhere, and improve their communication skills. In so doing, we can help them develop the ability to adjust to fast-paced technological and societal changes and improve their communication skills, which we think are also major responsibilities of a university.
I believe that most of our guests here and students, like myself, were extremely interested in the results of the Athens Olympic Games during the summer break. Taking this opportunity, I would like to share with you my personal observations with regard to an outstanding sportsman who went through many ups and downs in his quest for success.
In Chinese history and traditional culture, the common belief that "the winner is king; the loser a bandit" is deep-rooted. Most people would just praise the winners without acknowledging the efforts made by the losers. This year 19 year-old Teng Haibin, the youngest member in the Chinese men's gymnastics team, has deeply impressed me with his performance. Over a six-day period, young Haibin suffered a string of heavy blows but made a brilliant return. His experience has indeed put him through hell and heaven. A rising star in the gymnastics team, young Haibin disappointed many by failing three times to complete routines in group performances. He was blamed for not being able to help retain the championship for his team in group events, and some critics even said this failure would totally ruin his career. The agony he endured in these few days was certainly beyond our imagination. Yet it was his willpower and determination that propelled him to emerge as an ultimate winner by snatching a gold medal on the Pommel Horse with an impeccable performance, thus saving his own honour, and the honour of his teammates and the motherland. With tears clouding his eyes, he spoke from the bottom of his heart when he said: "Yesterday's failure and tears will become a driving force for success tomorrow."
Graduates, while you deserve congratulations on your academic achievement, you should well remember that you will be facing different kinds of challenges in the years ahead. I earnestly hope that you can learn from the experience of young Haibin: be not afraid of competition, always have confidence in yourselves, humbly accept your failures and learn from every mistake. With stamina and resilience, you can overcome any obstacle, and make use of your professional knowledge to create a bright future for yourselves and contribute to the betterment of the community and the motherland. I sincerely wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
In closing, I wish to salute the two recipients of honorary degrees for their distinguished accomplishments in different areas and continuous striving for excellence.
Thank you.
