A territory-wide survey in response to the fifth Policy Address of the HKSAR Government, conducted by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG), found that more than half of the young people asked, claimed that they would not apply for part of the $5 billion Continuing Education Subsidiary Fund to encourage lifelong learning . Only 37 per cent had any interest in applying for a grant, with the majority preferring to pursue studies in computer science or information technology. The HKFYG urged the Government to release details of the Education Fund as soon as possible so that young people could get a better understanding of the scheme. The Federation also encouraged young people to make good use of any opportunities for continuing their pursuit of knowledge.

        The survey noted that as many as 80 per cent of young people were in support of the claim as stated in the Policy Address, that the Government should continue to increase its investment in education, regardless of the economic situation. Most attributed their support to the fact that education was an issue closely related to them. The respondents were also of the opinion that securing an education could help improve Hong Kong's competitiveness and the quality of her human resources. Some 16 per cent, however, thought that the Government should pay attention to other issues, and that job creation opportunities were more important than investing in education.

        The responses of young people to the three measures of the Education Reform were generally positive, with more than 75 per cent in support of the increase in numbers of school leavers receiving tertiary education to at least 60% within 10 year. More than 60 per cent supported either the extension of the upper form of education to 3 years, so that students could have 6-years of secondary education, or supported an extend duration of university programmes from 3 to 4 years.

        Nevertheless, responses to the measures aimed at relieving the unemployment problem were not encouraging, with nearly 70 per cent revealing that the creation of more than 30,000 job opportunities in the short-term had failed to boost their confidence in their own employment prospects. This was especially true of older respondents, when compared to their younger counterparts. Meanwhile, 25 per cent and 15 per cent of respondents respectively, believed that the Address had failed to propose any helpful measures to increase their employment opportunities, or relieve their economic hardships.

        The telephone survey was conducted from 10 to 13 October 2001, the day that the 5th Policy Address of the HKSAR Government was delivered, and continued for the following three days. A total of 519 young people aged between 18 and 34 were successfully polled.

        The survey data noted that more than one in two respondents said that they had paid attention to the Address. This represented 289 of the total responses. Of this group, the largest number revealed that their confidence in Hong Kong's future in the upcoming year, or in the Government's leadership, had remained unchanged after the Address had been delivered. However, a total of 34 per cent said that their confidence in the Government's leadership had been undermined, as compared to only 20.4 per cent in a similar survey conducted in 1999. The 289 respondents gave the Policy Address an average mark of 52.7 out of 100, just 2.7 points ahead of the pass mark.

        The survey data also noted that the newly initiated accountability system, mentioned in the Address, garnered great support from the respondents, with more than 60 per cent supporting the system. Yet, the response to the other newly proposed measure, the Community Investment and Inclusion Fund, was relatively conservative, with less than 30 per cent showing any interest in applying for, participating in, or making donations to the Fund.

        In response to the finding that more than half of the respondents showed no interest in applying for the $5 billion Continuing Education Subsidiary Fund, the Federation urged the Government to speed up the consultation and promotion work so that young people could get a better understanding of the scheme. The Federation also encouraged young people to make good use of any opportunities that could help them to practice the goal of life-long learning.

 

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