22/03/2017
[OPEN LETTER TO DEAN, FACULTY OF SCIENCE,
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG ON THE CANCELLATION OF ASTRONOMY AND MATHEMATICS/PHYSICS MAJORS]
March 22, 2017
Dear Prof. Evans,
We are writing to voice our disbelief and dismay regarding the plan to stop offering Major in Astronomy and Major in Mathematics/Physics to students admitted in the year 2018/2019 and onwards. We earnestly request that the Faculty of Science withdraw this unwise proposal.
In your official reply to Science Society, HKUSU on 13th March, you cited the small number of graduates with Major in Astronomy and Major in Mathematics/Physics as evidence in support of the decision to cancel the said majors with being more cost-effective as the purpose.
The cancellation of a major should never be an impetuous decision. For this reason, the Faculty has disappointed students of the Physics Department by announcing the plan without prior consultation. To the best of our knowledge, the addition or removal of a major should never be a top-down executive decision, as it is in this case. Such an act should have been discussed first in the Curriculum Development Committee of the Faculty Board. In view of the lack of such discussions, we call into question the validity, legitimacy and appropriateness of this act. We are genuinely alarmed by this decision, unilaterally made by the highest authoritative figure of the Faculty. Not only does it infringe upon the autonomy of the Department, and disrespect all stakeholders by excluding their involvement in the decision-making process, it also inflicts serious damage upon the collegiality between students and teachers. The failure to consult with student representatives from the Faculty Board furthermore violates the principle of procedural justice, and this is unacceptable.
We find your grounds to limit the diversity of majors for a more efficient use of funds unjustifiable. According to media reports, the Faculty will not cancel relevant courses or dismiss any staff members after the two majors are removed. We find it questionable how funds or academic time may be saved by the cancellation, given the fact that only a very small number of courses are unique to the two majors. Thus, we would like to hear from you a detailed clarification on how the funds could be saved and used more efficiently after the two majors are cancelled.
In your reply to Science Society, HKUSU, you claimed that the low enrollment in the two majors stood as evidence that their existence is unnecessary as students have “voted with their feet”. We strongly disagree with this and believe that the value of a field of study should not be determined solely by the number of graduates. Choosing a major is after all, much more than a question of picking your favourite subject. Even when a field of study sparks a great deal of interest and is highly enrolled, this does not guarantee that all who intend to pursue that major would eventually graduate in it successfully. Moreover, the Mathematics/Physics Major provides the only way for the BEd&BSc double degree programme students to acquire a mathematics-related qualification which helps them to achieve their career prospects. Major in Astronomy on the other hand is offered exclusively by HKU, and it provides a comprehensive training that cannot be substituted by a minor. Therefore, saying that "teaching niche programmes results in a waste of academic time" based merely on the number of graduates is not just unreasonable but outright offensive.
Besides, as the cancellation of majors concerns interests of Science students, it is logical and reasonable to consult us. However, we did not receive any notification nor formal invitation regarding possible consultation. And for that reason, it is not acceptable to bypass us, as Science students, and implement such policy with large impact on students without prior consultation.
The Dean’s message on the Faculty website mentions that the Faculty is in the constant process of “revamping our curriculum to reflect the broadening spectrum of science”. We fail to see how the cancellation of two majors can serve to reflect the "broadening spectrum of Science" if not resulting in the exact opposite. As Science students of HKU, we are proud that our Faculty provides us flexibility in choosing our own and wanted discipline within the broad range of Science field. Cancelling the two majors is an act of limiting the “diverse and inquiry-driven programmes”. By doing so, the Faculty is acting in an affront to the ideals you mentioned in the “Dean’s message”. Student would expect the Dean to upkeep, if not enhance, the competitiveness of graduates of the Faculty. Whenever an apparent problem arises in a major, it is of utmost importance that the Faculty critically evaluate the causes and initiate measures of improvement, but not to consider cancellation in the first place. We call for your deliberate consideration on reversing this regressive change to the Faculty's policy and education philosophy.
Yours sincerely,
Science Society, HKUSU
Education Society, HKUSU
Physics Society, Department of Physics, The University of Hong Kong
Biochemistry Society, SS, HKUSU
Biological Sciences Society, SS, HKUSU
Chemistry Society, SS, HKUSU
Environmental Life Science Society, SS, HKUSU
Food and Nutritional Science Society, SS, HKUSU
Mathematics Society, SS, HKUSU
Statistics and Actuarial Science Society, SS, HKUSU
The Society of Earth Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, HKU
The Society of Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, HKU
[就貿然取消「天文」及「數學／物理」兩個主修 致香港大學理學院院長之公開信]
敬啟者：
我們對於香港大學理學院貿然決定於2018/2019年度起，取消「天文」及「數學／物理」兩個主修，深表震驚及遺憾，並期望理學院能撤回有關方案。
閣下在回覆香港大學學生會理學會查詢的電郵中，指出過去數年間，每年僅有數名畢業生主修「天文」或「數學／物理」，形容「學生已用腳投票」，故以善用學院資源為由，計劃於2018/2019學年起取消這兩個主修。
任何主修的改動，絕不應該倉促決定。理學院素來有良好架構機制，以確保各個學系的學生及教職員等持份者，就各項決策得到足夠諮詢。然而，是次理學院在欠缺妥當諮詢的情況下，斷然取消相關主修，做法令人深感失望。據了解，院長未曾與理學院課程發展委員會商討任何主修之刪減，亦未有諮詢學生代表意見，有違反正常行政程序之嫌，亦有悖港大師生共治原則，違反程序公義。
我們認為，理學院以「有效使用撥款」為由削減主修科理據不足。現時「天文」及「數學／物理」兩個主修科的大部份科目，均由物理學系和數學系開辦，由於這些科目均屬於數學學系及物理學系主修及副修之內，單靠取消主修，根本不能節省任何資源。我們難以理解此舉如何有助善用資源，因此我們要求閣下澄清「殺科」如何達至善用資源之目的。
閣下表示學生「已用腳投票」，以行動篩選出可被擱置的主修。誠然，主修「天文」及「數學／物理」的畢業生人數不及其他熱門學科，但我們認為一門學科畢業生數目多寡，並不能完全反映該學科的貢獻或其存在價值。畢竟，即使學生憑喜好選擇主修科，亦不一定能符合該科的要求，完成自己原定的主修。而且，理學院與教育學院合辦的「教育學士及理學士(雙學位課程)」目前並不接受「數學」主修，若學生有志透過修讀該課程成為數學教師，必須主修「數學／物理」，並無他選。再者，港大理學院是本港唯一開辦「天文」主修的院校，天文學亦是物理學系其中一個科研強項，有志修讀天文學的學生理所當然會以港大理學院作為首選，取消「天文」主修無疑是自毀長城，斷送本身的獨特優勢。閣下單以畢業生人數少，而認定有關主修為「小眾課程」，並指推行有關課程為「浪費學術時間」，此論調令我們深受冒犯。
除此之外，我們認為因為是次事件牽涉到同學切身利益，所以理學院理應向同學作諮詢。對於閣下完全沒有作任何諮詢，便執意推行此政策，我們深感遺憾。
理學院一直以「擴展學院的科學學術領域」為己任，然而現時減少 「多元及推動探知的學科」的做法，與閣下於 「院長的話」提出的期望背道而馳。身為理學院學生，我們對目前擁有廣泛而多元化的課程選擇深感自豪。倘若理學院管理層認為課程出現問題，理應評估箇中原因，並提出改善措施，而非直接取消課程。理學院有責任確保學院畢業生的競爭力，而取消兩個主修無疑只會帶來反效果。我們懇請閣下慎重考慮撤回是項令課程倒退的方案。
此致
香港大學理學院院長艾宏思教授
香港大學學生會理學會
香港大學學生會教育學會
香港大學物理學會
香港大學學生會理學會生物化學學會
香港大學學生會理學會生物科學學會
香港大學學生會理學會化學學會
香港大學學生會理學會環境生命科學學會
香港大學學生會理學會食物及營養學學會
香港大學學生會理學會數學學會
香港大學學生會理學會統計及精算學會
香港大學地球科學系地球科學學會
香港大學理學院環境科學學會
謹上
二零一七年三月二十二日
