The University of Hong Kong is considering giving one-off rewards to outstanding academic staff next year, the university vice-chancellor Tsui Lap-chee said.

Tsui told reporters yesterday that some university staffers were headhunted by other organizations which offered them a higher pay.

The university currently employs about 3,000 staff. Most of them were employed under the old system that followed government practices and refused to transfer to the new system where salary revision is subject to performance.

The university academic registrar Henry Wai said about 80 percent of the staff under the old system have reached the maximum pay levels. In other words, no matter how outstanding they are at what they do, it is simply impossible to offer them higher salary.

Meantime, Tsui said a one-off reward will help retain staff, but added that a final decision is yet to be made by the university.

Should the plan materialize, only those who score high in their performance evaluations will receive the reward, Wai said.

"We will take into account our financial situation before deciding whether to proceed with the idea and how much money should be spent on it," Tsui said.

Tsui urged the government to provide more financial assistance to universities so as to better prepare for the new four-year tertiary education system to be introduced in 2012.

The university will employ 200 professors for the new system, and introduce a pilot curriculum which will allow students to take more elective courses next year.

The university's dean of law Johannes Chan said a double degree in literature and law will be launched in 2009, admitting up to 25 students.

Chan said classical literature is closely related to the common law system. Renowned literature works by Shakespeare have references to laws and ordinances.

"Youngsters nowadays do not learn classical literature well," Chan said, adding that the program is made for students interested in literature.

The university's dean of arts Kam Louie said a new program in modern Chinese studies will be available this year for students with low proficiency in Chinese.

Louie said most of the Chinese studies courses currently offered by the university are conducted in Chinese. Under the new program, some of them will be taught in English.

"Students can learn Chinese culture in English. They can improve their Chinese language at the same time," he said.

The university's science faculty will also launch an environmental science degree program in 2009.

(HK Edition 02/14/2008 page1)