Student exchange: Secretary for Education Michael Suen chats with scholarship recipients.

Hong Kong's position as a regional education hub will be further enhanced to bring about greater internationalisation and diversification of the higher education sector, Secretary for Education Michael Suen says.

Speaking at a ceremony honouring the 2009-10 recipients of the HKSAR Government Scholarships today, Mr Suen said internationalisation is not just about attracting non-local students to come study in Hong Kong.

"It is about creating a diversified cultural and learning environment, and broadening the horizons of our students. It is about enabling non-local students to immerse in our society and enjoy the Hong Kong experience," he said.

Mr Suen added non-local students will act as a bridge between the city and the places they come from through their deep understanding of Hong Kong and the lifelong friendship they build around them within the local community.

Congratulating the local and non-local scholarship recipients, Mr Suen said the scholarship is fitting testimony to their academic performance, contribution to community service, leadership and communication skills.

This was the second year in which the HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund had awarded scholarships to outstanding students, with nearly $24 million being allocated to 441 students of nine publicly funded tertiary institutions.

The $1 billion fund was established in 2008 to attract more outstanding local students to advance their studies at home, and meritorious non-local students to pursue higher education opportunities in Hong Kong. The scholarships are $40,000 a year for each local student and $80,000 for each non-local student.