Tertiary institutions seeking to establish campuses in one of three university towns planned for the Northern Metropolis megaproject will be given “favourable consideration” if they do not require a government loan to build their facilities, Hong Kong’s education minister has said.
The government has expanded all three university towns – formally named in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s annual policy address on Wednesday – and opened applications for interested institutions to submit their proposals for the first, in Hung Shui Kiu, by the end of this year, with the results to be announced in early 2027.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said on Thursday that institutions could opt to take out a government loan to build their campuses, but those that did not do so would be given priority.
“Institutions may reference the indicative terms set by the government to submit competitive loan proposals; favourable consideration will be given to the institutions that do not require a loan or that are able to offer a financially competitive proposal,” she said.