Bulletin Supplement Aug 1969

Workshop was, as everybody knows, " A New Man for a New Society" . In practice, it may well be: "A New Man for a New Conference." The basic technique of the Workshop can be summed up as follows. First, the keynote speaker set the tone. Then the six seminars discussed the problems related t o their fields. The leaders of the seminars steered the discussions to seek out the problems and gradually unfolded the possible solutions. I n the first week, the leaders wisely refrained from imposing their personalities on the seminars and encouraged the delegates to air their personal philosophical views on the subject. This might have caused some anxiety, as the focus of attention could not be found at once. It was, nevertheless, necessary for the general participation of the delegates to speak their own mind. But before long, the seminars began to settle down and issues began to emerge that cried out for solutions. Each institutional team got together by themselves and raised problems and proposed solutions for implementation. After the regular seminars, small groups held informal presentations in the afternoons or evenings, which helped the seminars to reach successful conclusions. To use a musical metaphor, the keynote speech was the theme, the seminars were variations on the theme, some being a little harsh while some being melodious, and the lectures served as harmony. The three lectures reached across the lines of the seminars and tried to embrace and unite them. A t first, there was a little hesitation, groping and reaching for the hand. Then came the adjusting, tuning and warming up. Finally, the Workshop turned out to be a nicely synchronized and orchestrated effort, as was so well demonstrated in this morning's reports by the six seminar leaders. A n evaluation of the complete results of the Workshop is difficult to formulate at the present moment. The programmes of action, as so aptly presented by our keynote speaker in his brilliant summing-up, are not expected to be implemented by every institution. The solutions may vary, depending on the size, nature and the faculty number of the individual institution concerned. Whether it is private, state, national or denominational has a lot of bearing on the outcome of future implementation. The programmes of action, however, are expected to be taken seriously. Even then, if a few ideas out of many can be carried out and put into effect, everyone of us will be justified to feel rewarded. Such an evaluation can only be made one or two years from now. For the present, we must confine ourselves to the question: what have we achieved? As an innovation, the Workshop is no longer new, since its technique has now been tested and found to be practicable. As an experiment, it is, at least, partially successful. For one thing, there is the tremendous enrichment o f personal experience. For another, the very fact that for the first time in Asia more than twenty colleges and universities got together for two weeks is an event, the impact of which cannot bu t be felt directly and indirectly throughout the region. That the mass communications media of Hong Kong, which is a very practical- minded city, have devoted full and intensive coverage of the Workshop indicates the force of the impact. This leads us to consider the future prospects of the Workshop. This kind of technique is being watched not only by Hong Kong and other parts of Asia, but also by other regions. It will be studied carefully as a pilot case. It is hoped that the proceedings of the Workshop will be collected and published as a record as well as an example. The future of the Workshop, in the final analysis, depends on our follow-up more than anything else. We must find out to what extent the programmes of action will be implemented and why and how. We must also find out how much of the solutions to the problems can be applied. This, again, depends on how hard we work in the next two years. The day a student graduates from a college or a university and receives his diploma is called the commencement day. In the same sense, the Workshop does not conclude today, it merely commences. As Director of the Workshop, 1 would like to express my deep appreciation for the conscientious efforts and invaluable contribution made by the keynote speaker, Mr. Tarlok Singh, the three lecturers and the six seminar leaders. Together, they went out of their way to make the Workshop really hum. Speaking more personally, I may add that Mr. Singh's wise counsel and hard work have been a tremendous inspiration to all of us. A note of profound gratitude must be expressed to those whose bold vision has led them to finance this project and who therefore are really the ones that made this Asian Workshop possible. Thanks are due to my colleagues at The Chinese University who have rendered their service and help to the Workshop in addition to their routine load of work. The students' help has also been eminently satisfactory. Finally, may I be allowed to say a few words as host of the Workshop. "The role of the host" is not an easy one. No matter how hard we worked and how carefully we checked, there must have been some details which have been overlooked. But then we could always count on your good will and cooperation. "The rol e of the participant" is much more difficult and strenuous. Each of you had to exercise patience and forbearance because of the —14 —