Self-Financing Institutions Must Join Five-Year Plan, Academic Urges
HK01 · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago5 MIN
Summary
Professor Fung Chi-ho (馮志豪) has urged the Hong Kong government to incorporate self-financing tertiary institutions into its forthcoming five-year development plan, arguing that their agility makes them indispensable for building a sustainable talent pipeline .
Key Points
- Professor Fung Chi-ho argues self-financing institutions respond more nimbly to market demands than traditional publicly funded universities .
- He calls for expanded applied-degree programmes and relaxed quotas for non-local students from mainland China and ASEAN countries .
- The government should redirect public resources toward severe staff shortages in community health management, social work, allied health and gerontology .
- Micro-credential and professional diploma programmes should be developed to help working adults reskill amid rapid technological change .
- A dedicated talent development fund should promote integrated training across social work, nursing and eldercare administration .
- Policy should unlock women's labour potential through childcare, respite care and flexible employment to expand the caregiving workforce .
- Cross-border collaboration with Greater Bay Area institutions should establish unified training benchmarks and professional accreditation .
- Simplified student visa arrangements should allow mainland residents to pursue short-term and non-degree courses in Hong Kong .
- Humanities curricula at self-financing institutions should be systematically integrated into cultural development and patriotic education frameworks .
Why It Matters
Hong Kong's accelerating super-ageing demographic makes workforce planning in elder care and community health urgent. Without structural support for self-financing institutions, the city risks persistent talent gaps that could strain both public services and economic diversification efforts .
Hong Kong's accelerating super-ageing demographic makes workforce planning in elder care and community health urgent. Without structural support for self-financing institutions, the city risks persistent talent gaps that could strain both public services and economic diversification efforts .