HK lures more mainland students

BEIJING -- High school grads in the Chinese mainland have shown increasing preference for Hong Kong universities, with enrollment jumping from 7 mainland students in 1997 to 4,582 in 2011, according to statistics published Thursday by the EIC Group.

"Mainland students enjoy exceptional advantages studying in Hong Kong, as they can choose to work and live there after graduation, or make Hong Kong a springboard for entering top colleges and universities in other countries," said Hong Lijuan, an international education consultant from the EIC Group.

Hong Kong still needs more talented individuals, especially in its finance, banking, logistics and tourism sectors, according to Hong.

Hong said Hong Kong's economy and employment system have steadily developed and improved in recent years, adding that the local government has created policies to lure talented people, such as allowing graduates without local residence registration permits to live and work in the region for at least one year.

On June 27, China's central government announced a package of policies to boost economic and cultural relations between Hong Kong and the mainland.

Under the policies, exchanges between students and faculty from Hong Kong and mainland universities will be expanded and Hong Kong colleges will be encouraged to set up educational institutions in neighboring Guangdong Province.

The implementation of these policies will provide more and better job opportunities for mainland students studying in Hong Kong over the next three to five years, Hong said.