Education exchanges are key to fostering close ties with continent
Generations of Hongkongers have chosen English-speaking countries in which to further their education - but now students are being asked to consider continental Europe's great centres of learning.
'I understand that Hong Kong has been historically close to the United Kingdom, but it is also important to increase its ties to Europe,' says Maria Castillo-Fernandez, the European Commission's representative in the city.
She says educational exchanges are crucial to promoting 'people-to-people exchanges', and local academics and students can help foster closer relations with the continent.
While Britain boasts Oxford, Cambridge, the London School of Economics and countless other universities in London, Scotland and Wales, continental Europe is not without its shining stars, such as Germany's Max Planck Institute, France's Sorbonne and many others.
The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute in Torino, Italy, is the only institute to offer a master of laws degree explicitly approved by the UN. Similarly, France's Insead business school can boast 900-plus MBA and 65 doctoral students at any given time.
In mid-March, the 10th European Higher Education Fair was held in Hong Kong to rave reviews, with 50 participating institutions from 14 EU member-states. 'This year we had more EU universities,' says Castillo-Fernandez, adding that she regularly visits local universities to encourage them to avail themselves of EU funds to study in Europe.
The Erasmus Mundus (EM) programme offers financial support for institutions and scholarships for individuals to pursue masters and doctoral degrees. Funding is also available for partnerships with non-European universities and scholarships for academics.
EM's aim is to promote European higher education globally and boost academic co-operation between Europe and the world. EM is the international counterpart of the Erasmus programme, named after Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus.
According to Castillo-Fernandez, the challenge ahead is to 'improve [scholarly] exchanges' between Europe and Asia.
'We are open for such academic exchanges for Hong Kong students and faculty to go to Europe and vice versa. This packet of money exists to increase partnership between European and Hong Kong universities,' says Castillo-Fernandez, adding that this is a 'window of opportunity'.
She says that while many mainland students seek scholarships for further study and research in Europe, Hong Kong students don't seem to follow suit - despite the cash being on the table.
