This undated picture shows a library in the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong’s eight public-funded universities were granted HK$165 million (US$21.3 million) to enhance their e-learning practices, as classes shifted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The eight institutions were advised to use the grant to improve their online teaching quality and assessment methods. They were also encouraged to facilitate practicums and on-site training by applying visual teaching technology.

The eight institutions were advised to use the grant to improve their online teaching quality and assessment methods

“The University Grants Committee (UGC) and the Quality Assurance Council (QAC) will allocate additional funding of HK$165 million to support the eight UGC-funded universities in implementing various initiatives between 2021 and 2023 to promote the strategic development of virtual teaching and learning (VTL) in the medium to long run,” the UGC said in a statement on Thursday.

The two authorities said they believe that, even after the pandemic fades away, the universities will continue to enlist online teaching as a part of their overall teaching strategies.

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“The pandemic has brought about immense challenges to teaching and learning ... The UGC and the QAC hope that the additional funding will catalyse innovative and strategic thinking among our universities, and prepare them for the ever-changing teaching and learning environment as well as their development needs under the 'new normal',” UGC chairman Carlson Tong was quoted as saying in the statement.

The universities will be invited to submit their work plans and detailed proposals regarding the implementation of to-be-funded projects from the first half of 2021 to mid-2023.

Since the spring semester began in January, most of the eight universities have been adopting a “double-track” mode, holding classes both online and offline.

For the city’s kindergartens and primary and secondary schools, face-to-face classes have been suspended until at least after the Lunar New Year holidays in mid-February.

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