File reference: EDB(FE)CR 1/2/3231/11
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BRIEF
APPROVAL FOR CHU HAI COLLEGE OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND HONG KONG NANG YAN COLLEGE
OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO AWARD DEGREES
INTRODUCTION
At the meeting of the Executive Council on 16 December 2014, the Council ADVISED and the Chief Executive ORDERED that approval should be granted to –
(a) Chu Hai College of Higher Education (Chu Hai College) to award degree for four programmes –
(i) Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Creation in Chinese Literary Arts;
(ii) Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese for Professional Application;
(iii) Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Advertising and Corporate Communication; and
(iv) Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Communication and Crossmedia; and
(b) Hong Kong Nang Yan College of Higher Education (Nang Yan College) to award degree for two programmes –
(i) Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English for Professional and Intercultural Communication; and
(ii) Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) in Marketing.
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JUSTIFICATIONS
Chu Hai College of Higher Education
2. Chu Hai College has been registered under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap. 320) (the Ordinance) since 2004 and began to offer degree programmes with the approval of Chief Executive in Council in the same year. Chu Hai College now operates 11 full-time locally-accredited self-financing degree programmes, with around 1 670 students in the 2014/15 academic year.
3. In May 2014, Chu Hai College obtained the Programme Area Accreditation (PAA) status 1 from the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) in the areas of Journalism, Mass Communication, Chinese Literature and Chinese Language. Upon gaining PAA, an institution may develop and operate learning programmes within the approved scope of programme area(s) at specified Qualifications Framework Level(s), which may cover a course at degree level for an approved period of time, and have the qualifications of those learning programmes entered into the Qualifications Register for recognition under the Qualifications Framework without going through Programme Validation by HKCAAVQ2.
4. The four programmes mentioned under paragraph 1(a) above are covered under the PAA obtained by Chu Hai College, and hence Programme Validation by HKCAAVQ is not required.
Hong Kong Nang Yan College of Higher Education
5. In 1968, the Hong Kong Buddhist SANGHA Association (HKBSA) established the Hong Kong Buddhist College (HKBC) (“香港能 仁書院” in Chinese) to provide matriculation courses and post-secondary programmes. Building on its experience in post-secondary education to date, HKBSA decided to have HKBC evolved into a higher education institution to operate full-time locally-accredited self-financing degree programmes; and re-name it as “Hong Kong Nang Yan College of Higher Education”. In March 2014, the Chief Executive in Council approved
1 PAA is conferred on operators with sufficient quality assurance competency and maturity at the organisational level and a good track record in their validated programme(s).
2 Since Chu Hai College is registered under the Ordinance, it has to nonetheless obtain the prior approval of the CE-in-Council for awarding degree for each proposed programme at degree level.
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Nang Yan College to award degree for its proposed Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese and Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) in Accounting under the Ordinance, and to use “香港能仁專上學院”
as its Chinese name. Nang Yan College now operates seven full-time locally-accredited self-financing post-secondary programmes, including two degree programmes and five sub-degree programmes with around 60 students in total in the 2014/15 academic year.
6. In October 2014, Nang Yan College obtained accreditation from HKCAAVQ for the proposed Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English for Professional and Intercultural Communication and Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) in Marketing.
Award of Degrees
7. Section 10(a) of the Ordinance provides that a post secondary college may, with the prior approval of the Chief Executive in Council, award degrees. Chu Hai College and Nang Yan College intend to introduce the programmes mentioned under paragraph 1 above in the 2015/16 academic year.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE PROPOSAL
8. The proposal is in conformity with the Basic Law, including the provisions concerning human rights. It has no significant economic and sustainability implications, and no financial and civil service, productivity, environmental or family implications.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
9. Public consultation is unnecessary as the proposal involves no policy change.
PUBLICITY
10. A spokesman will be available for answering public enquiries.
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ENQUIRIES
11. In case of enquiries, please contact Ms Pecvin Yong, Principal Assistant Secretary for Education, at 3509 8502.
Education Bureau December 2014
