China supports HKSAR universities’ participation in Greater Bay Area cooperative education
CGTN

In order to build more high-quality cooperative education institutions and projects, the Ministry of Education (MOE) supports eligible Hong Kong SAR universities to carry out cooperative education in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Currently, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) has also approved the preparatory establishment.

According to the MOE's data, by July 2020, 380 Chinese mainland universities will be eligible to enroll students from Hong Kong SAR, Macao, and Taiwan. A total of 16,200 Hong Kong students are studying in Chinese mainland universities and nearly 8,000 in Guangdong, specifically.

The MOE has always attached great importance to the recruitment of Hong Kong students to the mainland. After years of practice and efforts, the channels for Hong Kong students to study in the Chinese mainland have been effectively expanded and the enrollment scale has been steadily expanded.

In order to meet the needs of Hong Kong students for further studies, the MOE selects new colleges and universities according to the needs of Hong Kong's social development and the characteristics of students' interests and, at the same time, according to the recommendations of the Education Bureau of Hong Kong.

By October 2019, a total of 122 Chinese mainland universities were considered eligible to enroll students for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE), mostly from top universities and some high-quality schools with distinctive features, including the Beijing Film Academy.

The MOE has also actively promoted attendance of primary and secondary school students from Hong Kong and Macao in mainland schools. At present, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and other places have issued rules on the enrollment of children of Hong Kong SAR and Macao residents who move with them.

Meanwhile, the MOE also supports the introduction of high-quality higher education resources from Hong Kong and encourages Chinese mainland universities and Hong Kong universities to carry out various forms of cooperation and co-construction, so as to jointly serve the national strategic needs. At present, Hong Kong Universities have set up two cooperatively-run schools with legal personality in Guangdong, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) has also approved the preparatory establishment.

In addition, the MOE, together with relevant departments, will continue to step up the recruitment and training of Hong Kong students, so as to create more convenient conditions for Hong Kong young people to study, find employment and live in the Chinese mainland, and enhance their sense of security and belonging.

(Cover image from CFP)