The City University of Hong Kong (CityU) aims to have all its teaching staff conduct research in the future to enhance teaching quality and the university's connection with the community, its new president Way Kuo said.

The role of each university and the differentiation between research-oriented and teaching-oriented institutions often spark debates in the community.

But Kuo said in an interview with China Daily that institutions should not be differentiated in such a way as teaching and research are interrelated.

Enhancing the university's research capacity, he said, is crucial for the implementation of a four-year tertiary education system in 2012.

By then, new programs will be introduced and the existing programs will be amended, he added.

"If professors only teach and don't conduct any research, they will have nothing new to teach the students and may not be able to open new courses," Kuo said. "All professors who teach well also have sound research performance."

Universities in the United States are good examples, he said, as none of them focuses only on teaching.

Research by teaching staff, Kuo noted, will also help the university establish connection with the industrial and business sectors, which provide internship opportunities for students.

Kuo said the university hoped at least 50 percent of its students will have the opportunity to take part in various internships in the future.

Kuo said the university will give attractive reward to motivate renowned professors and existing staff to conduct research.

But the involvement and time allocated to research may vary between staff members.

"Professors can conduct educational research even if they are not good at scientific projects," he said.

Kuo revealed that the university will seek more research funding from both the government and private sector.

Staff of the university will prepare a strategic plan to cope with the upcoming four-year system next week.

With the extra school year, Kuo expected students to take more foundation courses instead of focusing on areas of their interest only as they do now.

For example, students can take courses related to physics and mathematics in the first two years before focusing on architecture for the rest of their studies.

"A good foundation will enable students to understand new knowledge after graduation," he said.

(HK Edition 06/06/2008 page1)