Bulletin Vol. 1 No. 11 May 1965

used rented flats in a slum d is tric t o f K ow lo on. Chung Ch i College was founded in O ctober 1951 w ith on ly sixty-th ree students and a few rented classrooms, by educators and several representatives o f various Protes ta n t Churches and M issions in H o ng K ong. T h e U n it ed College o f H o ng K ong, a com bination o f five refugee colleges, carried on its w o rk in sim ila r rented premises. However, in spite o f adversity, devotion to learning kept the Colleges going and w ith the help o f friends and society at large, and by th e ir own persistent effort, all three Colleges developed steadily. Combi ned Efforts A t the end o f 1956, at the in itia l suggestion o f the Rev. Charles H . Lo ng , Jr., representative o f the Yale- in -C h in a Association w h ich was assisting N ew Asia College, the R ig h t Rev. R .O . H a ll, Bishop o f H ong K on g , called a m eeting at his house o f representatives from Chung C h i, New Asia and U n ite d to discuss jo in t policies and action fo r the achievement o f objects o f common interest. T h is m eeting was chaired by D r. F .L Tseung, then the President o f U n ite d College. T h is Provisional C omm ittee fo r Jo in t A ctio n by the Chinese Colleges o f H ong K o n g had several meetings and fin a lly a Chinese Colleges J o in t C oun cil was es tablished on February 25, 1957, w ith Chung Chi, N ew Asia and U n ite d Colleges, each having three representatives. T h e R t. Rev. R.O . H a ll and D r. C .L . Chien o f the Education D epa rtm ent were co-opted as advisers, and D r. F .L T seung was elected the firs t Chairman. J o i n t Counci l T h e objectives o f the C o un cil were to raise standards in Chinese higher e d u ca tion ; to develop jo in t policies where possible, and to w o rk fo r the achievement o f objects o f common in te re s t; and to represent M em b e r Colleges in jo in t negotiations w ith G overnm ent where common p o lic y concerned. T h e D ire c to r o f E ducation, then the H on. D .J.S. C rozier was in fo rm ed o f the organization o f the Joint C o un cil and he showed sym pathy w ith its aims. C on ferences between the C ouncil, the D ire c to r o f Education and S ir C h ristopher Cox, E ducational A d vise r to the C olonial O ffice, in 1957 led the C oun cil to th in k th a t there m ig h t be a p o ssib ility o f G o ve rn m ent m ig h t suppo rt o f a new u n ive rsity teaching th rou gh the m ed ium o f Chinese b u t on ly when the Colleges had achieved the necessary standards. So in October, 1957, the C o un cil appointed a C om m ittee to discuss standards fo r adm ission and fo r g raduation ; standards o f teaching s ta ff; lib ra ry p ro vision and equipm ent, e tc .; and adm in istra tion and con tro l o f the Colleges. T h e ir recommendations were summarized in a M em o ran dum published in 1958. Or dinance a nd G r a n t Regulations T h e M em o ran dum was sym pathetically received by the G overnm ent and fin a lly a C omm ittee composed o f M r. L .G . M organ , then D e pu ty D ire c to r o f Educa tion , D r. C .L . Chien o f the Education D epa rtm ent, D r. F .I. Tseung, then Chairm an o f the Jo in t C oun cil and the President o f U n ite d College, D r. L .G . K ilb o rn o f C hung C h i College, D r. A .S . L o v e tt o f N ew Asia College and M r. J .C .L . W ong, then the Executive Secretary o f the Coun cil, was appointed to consider a Post-Secondary Colleges O rdinance, and G rant Regulations to define the conditions under w h ich G ove rnm en t w o u ld give financial assistance to selected colleges. In June 1959 G ove rnm en t announced a programme w h ich made these fo llow in g po in ts: th a t a Chinese U n iv e rs ity w ith Chinese as the p rin c ip a l m ed ium o f in stru ctio n should be established, that financial aid w o u ld be given to the three colleges concerned to im ­ prove th e ir standards, tha t in due course, provided the required standards were met, and tha t a comm ission w o u ld be appointed to recommend on the prepared ness o f the Colleges fo r u n ive rsity status. F inancial assistance began tha t year, and in M a y 1960 the Post- Secondary Colleges O rdinance was enacted in to law, g iv in g G ove rnm en t power to proceed w ith its plans. U n d e r the G ra n t Regulations all the approved post- secondary colleges were to select all students for adm ission to first-yea r courses from among those a tta in in g an approved standard at a Jo in t E n try E x am ination, and to participate in a Jo in t D ip lom a E x am ination. These E xam inations were con tro lled by standing comm ittees composed o f members nom inated by the approved post-secondary Colleges on the G ran t L is t and members nom inated by the D ire c to r o f E d u cation. T h e Colleges were also required to p a rtic i pate in the fo rm a tio n o f a Jo in t Establishm ent Board fo r selection o f sta ff. Overseas Advisor s As proposed in the declaration o f June 1959, a n um be r o f experts in un ive rsity education were in vited to the Colony and gave valuable and encouraging advice bo th to G overnm ent and to the Colleges on th e ir development. M r. J.S. F u lto n , V ice -C hance llo r o f the U n iv e rs ity o f Sussex, visited the Colony in October, 1959 and pro vided an extrem ely useful report. T h e proposals in the Report fo r the development of the Colleges towards u n ive rsity status underwent serious study by the Colleges. One o f the matters w h ich received very close attention was tha t o f re- fram in g the in d iv id u a l colleges courses and syllabuses, bo th to make them more suitable fo r colleges o f u n i­ versity standing w ith in a federal set-up, and to ensure tha t they w o u ld meet the needs o f H o ng K ong. As th is was a very complex and d iffic u lt task, the Colleges, therefore, suggested to the G ove rnm en t tha t three advisers w ith w ide experience in the fram in g o f courses and syllabuses should be in v ite d to come from the U n ite d K in g d om o r the U n ite d States, to advise on the A rts , N a tu ra l Science, and Commerce and Econom ics courses. T h e G overnm ent approved the suggestion, and three em inent scholars. Sir James D u ff, D r. K en ne th M e lla n b y, and Professor F .E . Folts, came to H ong K o n g to study the problem s 7