A 21-member senior management level delegation from the Southwest University of Political Science and Law (SUPSL) has participated in training in public administration and higher education, organized by the CityU Professional Development Centre (CDC), 20 to 26 July. 

 

Entitled “Education and Public Administration in Hong Kong”, the seven-day training programme aims to provide the mainland education administrators with a tailor-made, comprehensive and current programme on the public policy and education systems, and recent developments in education reforms and the public administration of Hong Kong. 

 

“It is the first in a series of professional training programmes offered by the CDC,” said Mr James Ng, Executive Director of CityU Extension and Chief Executive Officer of CityU Professional Services Ltd. “With increasing collaboration between higher education institutions in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, training to enhance mainland public administrators’ understanding about the operation and management concepts of higher education in Hong Kong is in great demand.”   

 

“The participants gained updated knowledge about higher education policies and governance/management issues in Hong Kong,” said Dr Joshua Mok, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHS) and academic coordinator of the training programme. Dr Mok said the SUPSL delegation, including the SUPSL's Party Committee Secretary, Faculty Deans, and other senior officers, also created a link between CityU and the SUPSL. “The FHS also has benefited from the experience and we have strengthened the relationship between our Faculty and our SUPSL counterparts. Further exchange or training programmes will be developed in the future,” he anticipated. “We are proactively pursuing CityU's 'presence in China' in line with the University’s mission to enhance Hong Kong's higher education system.”

 

Impressive lectures and learning facilities

 

The training programme included six lectures and a sharing session on education in Hong Kong, the globalization of Hong Kong's education, the administration of tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, public policy and management in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong's legal system. Lectures were given by Dr Joshua Mok, Prof Joseph Cheng, Professor (Chair) of Political Science, Dr Zhu Guobin, Director of External Liaison and Cooperation Office, and Associate Professor of School of Law, Dr Rebecca Kwok and Dr Ngok King-lun, both from the Department of Public and Social Administration.

 

Participants were also impressed by CityU's learning facilities, the campus ambience, IT support, and the HKSAR Government’s investment in the higher education sector. In addition to lectures, the CDC arranged a visit to the Vocational Training Council, the Efficiency Unit and the Committee on Promotion of Civic Education of the HKSAR Government. Participants commented that they could draw valuable insights from the high level of services and efficiency offered by these government and public organizations. The delegation believed the experience gained from the training would improve their future management.

 

The Southwest University of Political Science and Law, established in 1953, was named by the State Council in 1978 as one of the key universities specializing in politics and law. CityU representatives visited the SUPSL in May this year, at which time faculty members of both universities indicated their keen interest in developing a long-term strategic, cooperative relationship. Thanks to this positive response from the first delegation, the CDC plans to organize further professional training for the SUPSL in human resources management and public administration.   

The CityU Professional Development Centre was established in June this year under CityU Professional Services Ltd, a wholly-owned company of CityU. The Centre is dedicated to extending the University's excellence in human and technological capabilities through training programmes for professionals, enterprises, and public institutions in Hong Kong and the region.