Enough is enough: lawmakers say no 'free rides' for 8 UGC-funded universities

Public universities should stop acting as "free riders" when asking for government funding amid the SAR’s nearly HK$100 billion deficit and instead should seek ways to be financially self-reliant, politicians said.

The comments came after Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has said there is “space for saving money” in the education and healthcare sectors. Education budget is the third highest expenditure in the 2024-25 Budget of HK$115.7 billion.

Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin has also said the University Grants Committee would adjust funding for the eight universities in the next three years given the fiscal deficit, but added the institutions would have sufficient time to make arrangements.

A veteran legislator who asked not to be named, who is also a university governing council member, told Sing Tao Daily, The Standard’s sister publication, that if the universities could wisely allocate their resources, less government funding would not affect their daily operation and research. 

The lawmaker called on the universities to stop acting as "free riders" every time they ask for government funding to build new facilities, as he questioned:  “Why can’t they use their own money?”

In the 2022-23 academic year, the eight institutions’ reserves stood at HK$125.9 billion, with the University of Hong Kong holding the most at HK$37.1 billion, followed by the Chinese University of Hong Kong's HK$32.2 billion.

Another lawmaker Chow Man-kong, chairman of the Legislative Council’s panel of education and associate vice president at Education University, said government funding generally accounts for 40 to 60 percent of the eight universities’ incomes.

Chow added institutions had set limitations on teachers and researchers participating in scientific research projects, but the universities would take a high percentage of the patent – discouraging academics from commercializing their research outcomes.

“They may prefer writing more journals instead, to get a promotion in job titles,” he said

Chow suggested the government should take the lead in requesting universities to offer more flexibility, so academics can be encouraged to engage in knowledge transformation.

(Eunice Lam)