最近，中文大學欲急速實行國際化，並有報導指，中大要求每學系表態，將其核心課程自下年度開始，改為強制性地轉用全英文授課。最近負責此事的副校長及 “學生多元化督導委員會學務及課程支援專責小組召集人” 楊綱凱，向全校全體教師發信回應，指中大並無改變其雙語政策，而來年非本地生的數目亦只有輕微增長。而且只有選擇錄取非本地生的學系或課程，才需要必修科目設置至少一組以英語授課，並提供足夠以英語授課的選修科目。
在該封致全體教師的信件中，楊綱凱聲稱各學系己對校方要求考慮增設英語授課科目一事，作出多種不同回應，包括（一）維持以中文為授課語言；（二）大部份技術性課程均可以增添英語授課；（三）有些學科可分設以英語授課和以中文授課組別；（四）一些課程將提供足夠以英語授課的必修及選修科目，讓同學能完成其本科課程要求，但仍然保留部份以中文授課。
然而，根據中大學生會發出的一封題為 <哭中大> 的公開信所指，中大下年度將有近250名來自國內，30名來自其他地方的非本地生入讀中大。而250名來自國內學生，均需多讀一年廣東話先修，因此並不應構成要課程改變授課語言為英語的需要。
但暫時未知這批非本地生所涉的中大學系有多少，亦未知確實有多少科目已經決定改變其教學語言。
楊綱凱致全體教師信件內容如下：
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致：全體教師
校園多元化的課程配套
推動香港院校國際化是本港各大學的發展方向，特區政府也大力支持。然而我們明白要進一步加強校園多元化，各項教研設備，及有關設施必須充份配合，尤其是要有足夠以英語授課的課程，所以我已在本月四日致函予各學系及課程主任，請已經選擇招收國際生的學系／課程列出其有關科目的教學言語。我已收到各系的回覆，各位教師積極參與其事，我謹此致謝。在這個發展過程中，大學在未來數年招收的非本地生人數，特別是國際生，只會稍微增加。
從各學系的回應，可見老師都認同學校多元化的願景，我更要感謝同事們諒解，縱使或會增添額外工作，同事都明白多元化校園會為同學帶來很大裨益，包括提升本地學生的跨文化觸覺、隨之增強的自我反省及人文價值、提升英語能力從而擴寬學術及文化的視域、增加事業發展機會等。此外，中大同學到海外交流的機會亦會因擴大招收外地交換生而增加。
各學系或課程已按個別情況作出了具體配合，包括（一）維持以中文為授課語言；（二）大部份技術性課程均可以增添英語授課；（三）有些學科可分設以英語授課和以中文授課組別；（四）一些課程將提供足夠以英語授課的必修及選修科目，讓同學能完成其本科課程要求，但仍然保留部份以中文授課。這些不同措施正好彰顯中大作為一所綜合性大學的優勢。
推動一個多元化的校園，和所配套的教學語言措施，都是各位老師所關心的問題。因此，容許我在這裡重申大學籌劃此事中所採用的幾個原則如下：
（一） 中文大學一貫採取雙語政策，此政策並無改變。
（二） 所有學系／課程自由選擇是否錄取非本地生。
（三） 只有選擇錄取非本地生的學系／課程才需要符合以下要求：
(1) 所有必修科目必須最少有一組以英語講授。
(2) 所有必修科目的導修課、練習或實驗課堂，必須有至少一組以英語進行。
(3) 學系無須將全部科目均轉為英語講授，但為使同學能符合課程要求，必須開辦足夠的以英語授課的選修科目。
(4) 所有以英語授課的科目，考試題目必須有英文版本。
詳情請參考我在本月四日致各學系主任的信函 [1]，和早前大學電子快訊第1.12期『香港中文大學迎接「學生多元化」的挑戰』[2]。
[1] http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/doc/restricted/letter20050104/
[2] http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/doc/restricted/letter20050104/news.html
大學有信心各學系及課程的系務會已充份考慮個別科目的特質及需要，以及錄取非本地生對整體學生的好處，從而作出了最佳的決定。而這個決定必須由系務會集體承擔，因為大學要對每一位入讀中大的同學負責，保證他們有足夠的選修科目，以符合課程規定，而這個保證並不能由個別老師承擔。
在推動校園多元化的發展過程中，大學定須考慮更多細節。我誠邀各位老師與各系主任及院長合作，集思廣益，並與課程支援工作組保持溝通。同時，我亦請各位老師向同學解釋大學的相關政策，以及學系就課程所作的決定。這些措施的最終的目的都是為了提升教育質素，令每一位中大同學有更大裨益。
在此謹祝各位工作愉快，身體健康！
副校長及
學生多元化督導委員會學務及課程支援專責小組召集人
楊綱凱
二００五年一月二十七日
副本致：校長
副校長
協理副校長
學院院長
學院院務秘書
教務處處長
入學及學生資助處處長
新聞及公共關係處高級主任
27 January 2005
To: All teachers
Curriculum to prepare for a broader student mix
The vision of broadening the student mix is shared by many universities in Hong Kong, and is supported by the Government. Of course, corresponding policies and measures need to be in place for this goal to be realized; an important element is having enough courses taught in English. Therefore I wrote to Department Chairs on 4 January 2005 to seek information on the language to be used in each course, in respect of programmes which had indicated their readiness to accept international students. The departmental returns have now been received, and the University is grateful for the support of all teachers in contributing to the departmental deliberations. The support will enable the University to increase the number of non-local students, especially international students; this increase will only be modest over the next few years.
The departmental returns confirm a wide ownership of the vision to widen the student mix. The University is grateful for your understanding that your extra efforts in working towards a more diversified campus will bring benefits to students - the acquisition of greater inter-cultural sensitivity for our local students, the consequent self-reflection and the more mature development of humanistic values, the improvement of English language skills that will afford access to the wider world of scholarship and culture, not to mention career opportunities, and the much-valued opportunities for overseas exchanges which are dependent on our reciprocal acceptance of incoming international exchange students.
There is also rightly a diverse spectrum of specific responses: (a) some programmes will continue to be taught in Chinese; (b) many technical programmes can use English much more widely as the medium of instruction; (c) some courses may be taught in parallel sections using different languages; (d) some programmes will offer sufficient required and elective courses in English to satisfy the major requirement, while keeping a range of courses taught in Chinese. This diversity illustrates our strength as a comprehensive university.
Because the move towards a more diversified campus and the consequent adjustments to the language of instruction are issues of such wide concern, please allow me to reiterate some basic principles adopted by the University in its planning.
(1) First and foremost, CUHK maintains a bilingual policy, and the intake of non-local undergraduate students is planned within that framework.
(2) Every department / programme should choose on its own whether to accept non-local students.
(3) Only those departments / programmes that choose to accept non-local students need to satisfy certain conditions on the language of instruction:
(a) All lectures in required courses must have at least one section taught in English.
(b) For required courses, at least one section of every tutorial, exercise or laboratory is conducted principally in English.
(c) Sufficient (but not necessarily all) elective courses are offered in English, to enable students to fulfil the programme requirements.
(d) All examinations for courses taught in English must have an English version.
You may like to refer to my letter to department chairs of 4 January [1] for details, and to an earlier article CUHK Rises to the Challenge of Broader Student Mix in the CUHK Electronic News Volume 1, Issue 12 [2] for the overall vision and plan.
[1] http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/doc/restricted/letter20050104/
[2] http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/doc/restricted/letter20050104/news.html
The University is confident that the decisions by individual Department and Programme Boards have carefully balanced the pros and cons for all students, in the context of the particular subject. The decision had to be taken collectively by the relevant Boards because we have to ensure that every student admitted must be able to access sufficient courses to graduate, and this assurance cannot be given by individual teachers.
There must be many details that need to be worked out as we move forward, and I invite you to discuss any issues with your department chair and faculty dean, and to convey to the Task Force on Academic Curriculum Support any matters that require its attention. I should also be grateful if you can help to disseminate to students the University policies and the specific decisions of your department in relation to course offerings in the future. The ultimate beneficiary of these initiatives will be our students.
Kenneth Young
Pro-Vice-Chancellor &
Convenor, Task Force on Academic Curriculum Support of the Steering Committee on Internationalization of Student Mix
cc:
Vice-Chancellor
Pro-Vice-Chancellors
Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellors
Faculty Deans
Faculty Secretaries
Director of Registry Services
Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
Director, Information and Public Relations
For comments and enquiries related to this message, please send to [email protected]
----- Task Force on Academic Curriculum Support of the Steering Committee on Internationalization of Student Mix"