Category Archives: General

本港大學是否為港人而設?

1. 首先我認為本科和研究院課程應該分開討論,因為兩者是很不同的問題。在這裡我主要著墨研究院課程,因為很明顯,那七三比任誰看都會覺得驚人。我之前提及過全日制的研究型課程並不受本地人歡迎,但八大的大部份的課程卻都是全日制。在這情況下大陸學生眾多是必然結果。限制大陸學生人數雖能降低其所佔學額比例,對提高本地學生人數卻無甚幫助。

3. 專上學位總括來說的確不足,但是否還要傳統大學教育我倒覺得有商確餘地。大學為學識而存在,很多科目並沒有直接相關的行業。這些學科的學生應該是貴精不貴多。
香港應考慮的,是重設像德國般的應用大學(Fachhochschule)。這需要教資會和一眾大學有心態上的改變,不能間間院校都爭做研究型大學。

4. 本地優秀的學生已經很常升讀碩士或博士學位,不過是出國而非留在本地。很現實,論研究本地還是及不上歐美一流大學,學生為前途當然不留本地。就這點來說,政府即使動用再多資源也是無沒吸引這些學生的。現時教資會正正偏好資助無本地人想讀的博士課程,結果只會是大陸研究生越來越多。

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這七年間的改變,是各院校進行了一場和本地需求脫節的全日制研究院課程大躍進,學額多了很多。以佘雲楚教授提及過的數據為例,研究學額七年間多了2200個,肯定近乎全部由大陸學生佔用了。所以目標只是回到過去的話,限制大陸學生的確有效。

我強調的是,若目標為增加本土研究生的數目,必須明白本土需求不在全日制課程而在兼讀課程。以科大研究生數目*為例,全日制課程的大陸對本土比率為5:1,但兼讀則反過來是1:3,研究型課程更達1:17!

兼讀課程對本地人的吸引之處很明顯:可以一邊工作一邊慢慢讀。大陸學生呢,他們就讀期間既不能合法在港工作,又不想無謂的虛耗光陰,不讀東家讀西家好了,兼讀課程對他們並不吸引。

從「好處」看,現時教資會並不鼓勵院校招收哲學碩士學位,在可見將來碩士課程大多會變成自負盈虧模式營運。在學費每年增幅都超過通脹下,金額早晚會達至合理水平,但壞處是這學費對本地學生亦是負擔。如果要政府資助本地人,那當然應該多資助本地人想讀的兼讀課程而非現時的全日制課程。

*http://www.ust.hk/provost/pg/newsletter/HTML/

求主賜力量和智慧—我不想自誇,不想出風頭,但難道只為避嫌而噤聲?也許我最難放下的就是不願得罪任何人這潔癖。
Praying for strength and wisdom. I do not wish to stand out, but should I not do so just to avoid doubts on my intention? Perhaps my biggest challenge is how to give up the obsession to please everyone.

彼得前書4章15節「你們若為基督的名受辱罵,便是有福的;因為神榮耀的靈常住在你們身上」很多基督徒都記得,但下一節「你們中間卻不可有人因為殺人、偷竊、作惡、好管閒事而受苦」又有多少人記得?

今時今日基督徒遇到反對聲音時,很易以4:15自我陶醉。4:16或許就是彼得在提醒信徒,當人家不同意我們的立場時就更應自我警惕。

Christians like to cite 1 Peter 4:15 “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you”, but how many remember the next verse “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or even as a mischief maker”?

Christians often indulge themselves in 4:15 when faced with opposition. Perhaps Peter is trying to remind everyone with 4:16 that it is also important to exercise prudence.

在平衡中港學生研究生人數這問題上,香港的高等院校大概面對著同一窘境:政府資助的研究型學位本地申請人甚少—個別課程甚至是零—以致一眾學系無論在收生要求上有多優待本地生,始終還是會有很高比例的外來生。至於受本地人歡迎的兼讀修課式學位,則在著重大學研究排名的大環境下不獲資助。

(睇完 20/1000+ 份申請,繼續!)

On the issue of balancing the ratio of foreign graduate students to local graduate students, institutions in Hong Kong probably face a similar problem: on one hand, the number of local applicants for government-subsidized research programs is so small—zero in some cases—that they will never be the majority even with strong affirmative policy in place. On the other hand, part-time taught programs, popular among locals, are not subsidized under the atmosphere of favoring research ranking over all else.

(20/1000+ applications read, keep going!)

The Atlantic: The Ph.D Bust: America’s Awful Market for Young Scientists—in 7 Charts

The issue is STEM is too broad a category. There is good demand for computer science graduates all the way up to PhD level, but not so for, say, civil engineering graduates.

The STEM surplus is much more severe at the PhD level because funding for PhD students are not following private market demand close enough. At the undergraduate level, within a few years after the private market for a field starts worsening, students stop flocking towards the field.

必須指出,一成外來本科生和七成外來研究生在世界級的大學並不罕見,罕見的是在香港,這些外來生幾近全部來自同一國家。

本土外來研究生一視同仁受資助亦是大學間的慣例,而本科資助則因地區而異。現在的問題是香港政府不是民選,所以資助外來生是沒有社會共識下推行的。

It should be pointed out that having 10% undergraduates and 70% graduate students being foreign are common among world-class universities. What so special in Hong Kong is that virtually all these foreign students came from the same country.

It is also common to subsidize local and foreign graduate students alike, while the practice regarding undergraduates varies. The problem in Hong Kong is that with a government essentially appointed instead of elected, the policy of subsidizing foreign students lack public consent.

重閱提摩太前書二章及哥林多前書十四章,就不解為何香港某些教會不斷反對性向歧視*諮詢*,卻容許性別歧視*條例*的存在。聖經教導以性別禁言,教會就不怕被「逆向歧視」了?還是那些教會的一眾長執心中「真理」是會跟據教友背景而改變的?

Re-reading 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14, one has to wonder how leaders of some churches in Hong Kong can so fiercely oppose public *consultation* on legislation against sexual orientation discrimination, while at the same time allow the Sex Discrimation *Ordinance* to exist. The Bible silences individuals purely by gender, now is that not a subject vulnerable to “reverse-discrimination”? Or is it that the “truth” those church leaders believe in changes with the composition of their flock?

防末日自殺 阿根廷法國封山

在指出明天末日無根據的同時,相信年輕地球論的基督徒最好不要指摘別人不理性,因為年輕地球論的科學根據也是乏善可陳。
While it is appropriate to point out the lack of evidence supporting the theory that tomorrow is the apocalypse, believers of Young Earth creationism should not criticize others as irrational, as YEC does not really have scientific backing either.

近期見到太多提點基督徒要防範東方閃電的連結。對不起, 我對此實在頗為討厭,甚至覺得虛偽。讓我們從非信徒的角度,換個字眼看看:

「基督教傳教有四大原則,包括一、全民皆兵:每個信徒都是傳教士,而教會架構亦以傳教為主;二、指令明確:信徒按照教會高層領袖的安排傳教,並設有傳教規條,指導其信徒傳教方式;三、容易掌握:他們會向未信者派發其教義書籍及手冊,方便明白其信仰內容;四、重複單向:信仰內容都出於聖經,傳教時沒有討論空間。」

「基督徒不會用hit and run的方法,而是潛入不同群體—『摸底』,『鋪路』,然然鎖定對象,做『針對』。 」

「先與人建立關係,取得人的信任,剛開始會關心、請吃飯,不會馬上傳教。」

「他們到後來才拿出他們的那些書來,才使用基督教專用的述語。」

「基督徒很斯文,不會踢館,搶咪,拉標語……他們看來是一頭很乖,很純,很熱心的小羔羊。」

如果東方閃電在本港做了甚麼犯法的事,教會應去報警。沒有的話我敢說東方閃電信徒和很多香港的基督徒一樣,只會理直氣壯的覺得自己正為義受逼迫。