Topic: Each year, local universities admit a number of mainland students into their undergraduate and graduate programmes. Write an article arguing either for or against the statement, “Importing students from the mainland brings more harm than good to Hong Kong”.
Admission of Mainland Students
Since the handover in 1997, the interaction and communication between the mainland and Hong Kong have become more and more frequent. In fact, the interactions across the border of this kind not only refer to the exchange of goods and capital in trade, but also include the exchange of ideas in the academic fields, and this is clearly illustrated by the admission of mainland students by the local universities. Although this practice has invited some critics from the public, it remains clear that the policy is beneficial to our city, enhancing the competitiveness of both local universities as well as the economy.
To begin with, introducing mainland students can undoubtedly provide a significantly a wider source of productive and efficient labour force to our economy. Upon their graduation from local institutes, it is very likely that these elites from the north will continue to work and live in the city, and this contributes to the economic and social development of society. Facing the irreversible trend of globalization and the keen competition with its counterparts like Singapore and Shanghai, it is absolutely vital for Hong Kong to equip itself with a labour force of the highest quality, so as to gain a competitive edge in its race with other Asian cities. No other method is more effective and practical than admitting excellent students from the mainland to achieve this goal.
Besides, admitting talented mainlanders into local universities can help boost the reputation as well as international status of academic institutes, too. With a number of brilliant imported students studying in the universities, the overall academic achievements and performance of the entire institution will undoubtedly make a significant progress, which helps the universities draw much more attention from scholars and experts all over the globe. As a result, local universities can enjoy the enormous benefits brought by being world-renowned, such as attracting more talented and experienced professors and scholars, as well as receiving more investment and donations both from the government and the public. All these can definitely raise the standard of academic researches and the quality of tertiary education provided by the universities, and in turn, benefits the city as a whole.
Another reason supporting the policy of importing mainland students is that it facilitates the cultural exchange with Mainland China which is a major market for local enterprises. When mainlanders are admitted into local universities, Hong Kong students will be provided the precious opportunity to communicate with their Putonghua-speaking schoolmates, so as to have a better understanding of both the culture and the social environment in the mainland. As a consequence, not only will local students be able to broaden their horizons and acquire more knowledge about the mainland, they can also equip themselves with a more comprehensive understanding of the rapidly developing nation, so as to be ahead of others on the starting line when developing their career. This is especially important for the territory’s economic development in recent years, owing to the growing economic reliance of the city on the mainland and the implementation of CEPA, which brings huge economic benefits to Hong Kong.
Despite all these benefits of importing mainland students, some Hongkongers still strongly oppose this helpful policy, arguing that admitting students from the mainland implies fewer university places for local Form 7 students. This is an undeniable fact, but what the opponents have overlooked when making their argument is that the choices made by the universities in admission is a pure academic issue, and the selection of students should always be based on the characters and abilities of the students themselves, but regardless of where the students come from. Avoiding admission of mainland students simply to secure a place for another local student is not only a kind of discrimination against mainlanders and depriving them of the right to study in the best institutions, but also an example of over-protection of local teenagers, which generates a misconception that there are many university places for them to choose without hard work. Instead, we ought to reflect to the students the reality that our society is full of all types of fierce competitions with various people, and the striving for a university place is simply one of the numerous examples.
In conclusion, importing students from the mainland obviously brings more good than harm to our society, and thus we should all respect the wise choice made by the universities, for the interest of both the economy and society of our city.