The officers are ACP To Chun-wai, SP Lam Man-wing, WSP Chan Mi-ching, Auxiliary WSP Wong Wai-king, and SIPs Chan Har, Ho Ming-yan, Li Po-hung, Tong Sui-yip, Wong Tung-kwong and Yeung Man-pun. They had completed eight modules (including a two-week Public Administration Course at the Tsinghua University in Beijing), passed examinations and submitted a dissertation before being awarded their degrees last month.

As their academic success did not come easily, OffBeat talked to the officers to find out how they coped with their part-time studies without compromising their jobs and family lives.

Major observations

SP Lam quoted Milton Friedman, a recently passed away Nobel Laureate in Economics, as saying: "There is no free lunch." He said that for his part-time studies, he had sacrificed much time that he should have spent with his family.

SIP Yeung said with mixed feelings: "I was heavily involved in operations for the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference. So it was stressful to keep pace with the study schedules at the same time!"

For SIP Wong, the "most difficult part" was allocating time to his newborn son, studies and examinations.

WSIP Chan remarked: "On the one hand I had to work shifts and on the other hand I had to work on my thesis. This was a real challenge that demanded my greatest determination as well as perseverance."

With mutual care and encouragement, as well as support from their seniors and families, officers overcame all difficulties and attained their targets!

Such was his interest in the Public Administration course that SIP Li flew to Beijing early on the day after his wedding to join his classmates in the Tsinghua University. His bride's understanding deserves our salute.

Course benefits

With their two-year efforts, all 10 officers have become more knowledgeable, broadened their horizons and boosted their abilities to cope with ever demanding and challenging police work.

SP Lam said that the benefits he had got justified the cost of his "long lunch". "Now I appreciate better the impact of formulating and executing public policies with limited resources," he noted.

Looking back at the past two years, WSP Chan said: "The course enabled me to have a good grip of problems and policies, as well as a better ability for independent thinking and analysis. Applying what I have learnt to my work will certainly enhance efficiency and service quality."

Auxiliary WSP Wong has come to know why some government policies are widely welcomed while some others are not. "This is great inspiration for my work. Lifelong learning is a common objective for regular and auxiliary officers, who work closely together," she said.

SIP Li felt that probing several thematic topics in the Tsinghua Public Administration Course had enlightened him on social issues on the Mainland. This was a new experience different from that he obtained during contacts with his Mainland counterparts.

SIPs Ho and Tong married shortly after completing their course. They noted: "We've spent two fulfilling and meaningful years that have also widened our social connections. Knowing classmates pursuing a common goal from various government departments, and making friends with them are a pleasant surprise."

Advice on selecting courses

The officers have offered some advice to Force members who want to follow in their footsteps.

Assistant Commissioner (Information Systems) To Chun-wai advised officers to take their interests and objectives into account before selecting courses. They should collect and examine carefully all course information before deciding on the suitable ones. Never should they pay any fee before enrolling. After paying, they should ask for and retain receipts. Receipts and course data can be regarded as contracts with the course organisers. He added that lifelong learning has provided academic succour.

WSP Chan reminded officers, who are considering courses offered by non-local higher and professional education institutions, to ascertain whether the courses are registered in Hong Kong, as required by the Non-local Higher and Professional Education [Regulation] Ordinance, Cap 493, or co-organised by any locally recognised institutions for tertiary education in order to safeguard their own interest. In fact, those non-local higher and professional education courses must meet the following requirements before they can register in Hong Kong:

1. The awarding organisation or university is recognised domestically;

2. The standard of the courses is equal to that offered domestically, and is recognised by domestic academic organisations as well as accreditation authorities, if any.

Locally recognised higher and professional education organisations are the nine local universities, the Hong Kong Open University and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Their accredited independent assessments assure that course standards meet the aforesaid requirements. In that regard, the overseas higher and professional education courses they have co-organised may apply for registration exemption.

Auxiliary WSP Wong said there was no registration requirement for "purely distance learning" non-local higher and professional education courses. As there is no proper supervision on these courses, students have to make their own judgment on the course standard, and bear a certain degree of risks.

SIP Wong advised officers to visit the Education and Manpower Bureau website (www.emb.gov.hk) for a list of Hong Kong registered or registration exempted non-local higher and professional education courses, as well as details of the registration system. They may also call the Non-local Courses Registry of the Bureau for further enquiries.

SIP Yeung pointed out that whether academic qualifications acquired locally or overseas are recognisable for job applications is entirely up to individual employers. Non-locally registered or exempted courses do not necessarily enjoy a special status or are recognised as being equivalent to local degree courses.

SIPs Ho and Tong explained that for a government job, academic achievements will be assessed on an individual basis. The Government will consider the information and assessments provided by academic organisations, academic accreditation institutions or related bodies, and will assess applicants' academic qualifications according to the education requirements and other criteria consistent with the positions applied for.

WSIP Chan supplemented by introducing the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation, which has long been providing academic accreditation services to various government departments, including the Civil Service Bureau. The Council evaluates courses run by educational and professional organisations and posts on its website (www.hkcaa.edu.hk) a list of the courses which have passed academic assessment.

ACP To (fifth from right) and his fellow graduates at the Graduation Dinner