But having regard to my own experience from serving on the University Grants Committee and governing bodies of universities, I would like today to venture a few thoughts on tertiary education. These have nothing to do with the responsibilities of my present office and represent my personal views. Some thoughts are of general application whilst others are of particular relevance to the circumstances of Hong Kong. The basic mission of a university is teaching and research. It is a community of learned men and women.
Universities enjoy institutional autonomy and academic freedom.
They are essential institutions in a civil society. Through teaching, students do not merely acquire knowledge which will soon be out of date. What is more important is that they understand the values of our society and are taught the means to educate themselves throughout life and to develop an inquiring mind, to ask questions and to challenge orthodox thinking. Through research, a university contributes to the knowledge of mankind and to the enrichment of humanity. It is fashionable nowadays to compare a university to a large scale corporation and to compare the responsibilities of its vice-chancellor or president to those of the chief executive of such a corporation.