The plan was revealed by the HKSAR government recently that it is set to have a university by merging two of its current universities within a time frame of five years.

Against the backdrop of a global trend of merging universities into bigger, higher standard ones, Arthur Li, the HKSAR secretary for education and manpower, said that the integration of the university of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) would begin before 2005.

"This is for the good of Hong Kong," he said, adding that university staff should put the promotion of local higher education before their own interests and the universities.

Li's view was immediately echoed by Hok Yau Club, an active local student affairs group that represents a membership of 4,000 tertiary and secondary students, which has expressed strong support for such a government plan.

Tang Wing Chun, a standing committee member of the club told Xinhua Wednesday that his club's unequivocal stand is strongly in favor of having the two universities merged, "as the merger is in line with the global trend both nationally and in overseas countries."

Li's recommendation was immediately praised by the vice-chancellors of the universities, saying that the merger would be away to elevate the two universities to single, more powerful, world-class institution due to the synergy of the superb qualitiesof both universities.

Ambrose Yeo Chi King, vice-chancellor of CUHK, said he has already issued a letter to all his staff and students, expressing his support for the university to be merged with HKUST. He said a committee has already been established to look into the various issues concerned.

Chu Ching Wu, vice-chancellor of HKUST, also said he was glad that the HKSAR government showed clear support for the merger, adding that the time was now ripe for the move to be seriously looked into.

The merger has aroused the attention of global education experts in Hong Kong. Mok Ka Ho, the vice head of the Department of Public and Social Administration of the City University of HongKong who has extensively researched education issues on a global scale said there are more advantages than disadvantages in implementing the merger.

"With HKUST's strength in science, business and humanities education and CUHK's historical strength in cultural education combined and reorganized, a promotion of tertiary education standard is likely to be achieved in Hong Kong. The talents of both universities will be brought together under one roof," he said.

Tang Wing Chun of the Hok Yau Club said the club is currently organizing a seminar to be held at the end of this month to invite students from the eight tertiary institutions to discuss the issue,as the club is, at the same time, conducting a survey on its own on some of the more successful merger cases that have taken place in the mainland and overseas in order to ferret out the appropriate modus operandi of merging.

According to Arthur Li, both universities could reach an agreement soon and expect the integration to start before 2005 and be completed by 2008.

(Xinhua News Agency October 9, 2002)