At midnight on June 30, 155 years of British rule in Hong Kong cease. The handover to China raises complex questions for the colony's institutions, economy and citizens, with Hong Kong's thriving universities firmly at the core of its people's hopes and fears. The É«ºÐÖ±²¥S looks at the issues involved

Restrictions on learning and research top the Hong Kong students' list of worries about the imminent handover. Maggie Verrall reports.

For Hui Sui-tuen, a year-two statistics student at Chinese University, obvious changes as a result of the return to Chinese sovereignty include an increase in the number and range of compulsory courses related to Chinese culture and language.

This sounds natural enough. But the implications of such a change are interpreted as sinister or positive, depending on who you talk to.

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Patrick Wong Chung-sing is president of the Hong Kong University Students' Union. Adding courses about China, he says, "is not an obvious means of control, but on the other hand it is a way to promote their (the students') thinking." He admits that so far he has not seen any evidence of course content being altered. But he is worried that forces higher up in university and government hierarchies could use this as a subtle means to change what is taught, particularly in potentially sensitive subjects such as politics, social sciences and law.

At the other end of the opinion spectrum is Eric Chan, president of the pro-China Students' Preparatory Committee for the Celebration of the Reunification of Hong Kong with China. He says: "We must increase national education because this field is very weak in higher education institutions in Hong Kong." On the concerns of fellow students about the change of sovereignty, Eric says: "I think the main reason (why they are worried) is they lack understanding about China and the future of the Hong Kong special administrative region. We hope to help the young people build a more positive image of China and to build up their sense of responsibility for the future of Hong Kong."

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On a less controversial front, the thoughts of Hong Kong's students seem to coincide with those of their teachers on at least one issue - the need for a four-year system to replace the three-year undergraduate programme. "I think this should change regardless of the change of sovereignty," says Ruby Hau Yuk-yin, president of the students' union at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Although students mention an increase in emphasis on Chinese language at tertiary institutions as a direct consequence of the handover, they preface this with the assertion that English will remain important. As products of Hong Kong's system, they are more than qualified to comment on it. The verdict? Things have got to change, or English standards will continue their downward spiral. "We've got to improve the teaching of English at the primary and secondary level," says Ruby.

One of the changes that might directly link with the return to Chinese rule is a further increase in the already rising numbers of students from the mainland, particularly at postgraduate level. Many students see this as a positive thing, with students from good universities on the mainland providing tough competition and helping keep standards high.

Possible threats to freedom of speech crop up often. Hong Kong's student activists at least seem worried that the arrival of the government of the new special administrative region will have an effect on freedom of speech in tertiary institutions.

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Damian Cheng Wai-pang, a fourth-year undergraduate at Chinese University majoring in philosophy with French and sociology, plans to go on to postgraduate studies but fears restrictions will be placed on his research, particularly in certain sensitive subjects. He says these could come from within the institution in the form of self-censorship. "It's a matter of degree. Social sciences has a lot of relevance to politics, and is likely to be more affected. But I don't think other subjects will be immune to these effects.

"I think the government after the handover will be a somewhat conservative government which may be led by businessmen and their interests. Under such an atmosphere, students like me who do research on humanities and social sciences could attract trouble. They don't necessarily have to put you in jail or anything overt like that. They could just not give you enough funding, so you cannot do your critical research."

The spectre of subtle means of controlling research, teaching and freedom of speech worries Patrick Wong. He cites the case of a junior lecturer at a Hong Kong tertiary institute who was outspoken in his opposition to the provisional legislature. His contract was not renewed.