Dr Alice Lam has been appointed chairman of the new University Grants Committee Quality Assurance Council for one year from April 1. She will be succeeded by council member Philip Chen.

Announcing the appointments today, Secretary for Education & Manpower Prof Arthur Li said he is confident that under Dr Lam and Mr Chen, the council will bring quality assurance in the higher education system to a new level.

The council will focus on quality assurance matters with respect to all taught programmes offered by University Grants Committee-funded institutions at degree and above levels, irrespective of their sources of funding.

Programmes offered by committee-funded institutions solely or jointly with other institutions, which lead to qualifications wholly or partly awarded by the committee-funded institutions, will also be covered.

Quality audits, which will take the form of self-evaluation and peer reviews, will be conducted by the council and its panels. Upon its establishment, the council will make preparations for its first quality audit, scheduled for early next year.