This thesis is an attempt to analyze how higher education in Hong Kong has been affected by the sweeping force of globalization. I will focus mainly on higher education, as the implications of globalization for higher education are relatively more substantial, especially in terms of its relation to national development and to academic work within universities themselves. Also, my analysis of the unfolding dynamics of globalization involves chiefly two players/agents: one at the 'top' level, while another at the 'bottom' level. The agent at the top level is represented by the Hong Kong University Grants Committee (UGC), as it has been entrusted by the state to develop a quality assurance and assessment mechanism at all state-funded higher education institutions. The global trends and elements, such as accountability, marketization, commodification of higher education, etc., can well be illustrated by the education policies enforced by the UGC, especially the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), the Teaching and Learning Quality Process Review (TLQPR) and the promotion of self-financed programmes. On the other hand, the agent at the bottom level refers to the higher education institutions and its academics. Through in-depth interviews, the responses and reactions of the academics, faculty members and administrators of universities towards the global practices and the policies of the UGC will be analyzed. I tries to argue that the faculty/institutional response is rather passive, individualistic, and covert, and there has lacked collective response to fight against the globalization forces that emphasize economic norms like productivity, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, etc. There has emerged a paradoxical phenomenon that the traditional values and beliefs seem to be, on the one hand, under threat from global forces, and on the other hand, increasingly pushed toward similarity and homogeneity. On the whole, I hope that this study can raise the issues for universities and

Background: The Project Yi Jin (PYJ), an alternative pathway for secondary school leavers and adults to further their education, has been receiving full support from the government, the Federation for Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions (FCE) in Hong Kong and the public. Graduates of PYJ have the equivalent academic status of their counterparts in the main stream education. It was first implemented in 2000/01 by the FCE and has been offered to more than 35,000 students by 2006/07. With the success of the programme as a safety-net for a mass education system, it should continue to function more vigorously as new reforms are being implemented in the Hong Kong education scene in the future. The Chief Executive in his 2004 Policy Address has set out the direction to develop a new secondary and university system, i.e., (3+3) for secondary + 4 (tertiary) [the old one is (3+2+2)+3], to be launched in 2010/11, that will effectively prepare the next generation to cope with the challenges of the 21st century and the demands of the rapidly developing knowledge-based society. The new system, together with substantial modified curricula including the newly developed applied learning courses (ApL), is supposed to be able to look after all secondary students.
Aims and focus of discussion: This paper aims to argue the necessity of launching a new version of Project Yi Jin (nPYJ) concurrently together with the new 3+3+4 academic system. In light of the contemporary global educational systems as compared to that of Hong Kong, it is postulated that the launching of nPYJ as a continuation of the successful PYJ is both legitimate and indispensable with regard to the carefully observed current global fashion of lifelong learning and continuing education in which diversity, equity, and flexibility are highly valued.
Method: A comprehensive comparative review was carried out on eleven selected oriental and occidental countries and regions, namely, Australia, Canada, Germany

有關香港大學教育學制的爭議，從五十年代討論中大的成立時已曾發生；自中大於六三年成立後，香港兩間大學是各有其年制和自行收生的，形成了中學教育的雙軌制。七十年代中大反對四改三運動亦是一個學制爭議；及後港府以合併預科考試為題，在教統會第三號報告書中，統一了中學學制，要求各大專院校採用劃一的取錄程式，間接地促使了香港高等教育全面走向英式專才。回歸後，特區政府提出全面檢討教育制度，其中關鍵點是大學學制；為此教統會提出一體化的三年高中教育，這將使香港大學學制邁向六四制，與國際主流學制接軌。此文重點是以歷史角度剖析上個世紀以來香港學制的四次爭議。
There are four debates on the duration of undergraduate programme in Hong Kong at last century. Since the Chinese University of Hong Kong is established in 1963, the two universities have their own system in admission and duration of undergraduate programme. The Hong Kong University with three-year undergraduate programme serves pupils from Anglo-Chinese School and admits them according their results in the Advance Level Examination. While the CUHK admits pupils from Chinese Middle School with Higher Level Examination results. However, Education Commission in ECR3 on 1986 suggests combining the two matriculations. After reunion, the Chief Executive of HKSAR government entrust the EC to conduct a comprehensive review of the education system. Later the EC suggest providing a new three-year senior secondary education. It seems there may be another change to be happen in the duration of undergraduate programme in Hong Kong. No matter how, it is worthy for people to have a historical review on this issue.
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