HONG KONG (SE): The Caritas Institute of Higher Education [CIHE], Tseung Kwan O, is now officially known as St. Francis University, is was announced in a press release on January 9.
“Subsequent to the approval by the chief executive-in-council today [January 9], the permanent secretary for Education has approved the change of the English and Chinese names of to “Saint Francis University” and “聖方濟各大學” respectively in accordance with the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap. 320) (the Ordinance),” the press release from the Hong Kong government said.
The Sunday Examiner previously reported that the newly-minted university had been given the green light by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications, pending official approval [Sunday Examiner, 13 October 2023].
Christine Choi Yuk-lin, the secretary for Education, congratulated the institution saying, “The granting of a university title not only represents a milestone for the CIHE, but also bears testimony to the government’s commitment to promoting the parallel development of the publicly funded and self-financing post-secondary education sectors to provide young people in Hong Kong with quality, flexible and diversified study pathways.”
Choi added, “I trust that the self-financing post-secondary sector would continue to play a pivotal role in nurturing talent to support Hong Kong’s manpower needs and its further development into an international hub for post-secondary education.”
The institution is the fourth self-financing post-secondary education establishment granted a university title.
Along with the Caritas Bianchi College of Careers, St. Francis University offers post-secondary programmes in 35 different disciplines, ranging from social sciences to technologies and economics with about 2,500 students.
Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., had actively promoted the idea of a Catholic university when he was the local superior of the Jesuits, before he became bishop.
The initial idea was to build an entirely new university in Fanling, close to the border with the Mainland, but the authorities rejected it for urban planning reasons.
Once he became bishop, Cardinal Chow revived the project by suggesting that the Institute of Higher Education be turned into a university.
“The upgrade in title will open up more opportunities for quality learning in tertiary education and give recognition to youths who want to develop their profession,” said Kim Mak Kin-wah, university president, according to the South China Morning Post. “After the name change, the university will continue to offer our distinctive curriculum.”
The university began in 1985 as the Caritas Francis Hsu College, becoming an approved post-secondary college in 2001 offering sub-degree programmes. After acquiring accreditation for offering degree-level programmes in 2010, it changed its name to Caritas Institute of Higher Education in 2011.
The government press release said that it will be required to submit a progress report together with an audited financial report to the Education Bureau annually to ensure its teaching quality and financial sustainability.
