The planned veterinary school of the City University of Hong Kong will include a welfare center – in cooperation with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – to help educate the public on animal adoption.

This revelation comes as the University Grants Committee sets up a special task force to review a new proposal by the university for the school of veterinary science.

“We plan to arrange for students to help NGOs conduct sterilization operations for cats and dogs,” said CityU’s life sciences programs executive director, Howard Wong Kai-hay.

“On one hand we can save hundreds of dollars for each pet, while our students can have real- life practice on animals. This is totally a win-win situation for both,” he said.

The university hopes the committee will make a decision by the end of the year on its plan for a six-year veterinary medicine degree program with an initial intake of 30 students.

If the green light is given, the school will start recruiting students next year while a new building and renovations will be completed in two to four years.

Wong added that students will be able to have lessons in the existing campus in Kowloon Tong during the first three years. Tuition fees may be HK$40,000 a year.

The school will also include a training farm in Yuen Long, a laboratory and a small-animal hospital.

The veterinary school will seek accreditation approval from the United States and Britain so students will be able to work overseas, Wong said.

There are plans to eventually recruit 40 teaching staff, from both locally and overseas.

“But it may be only five to six teaching staff when we start off in the first year.”

In Hong Kong, little research had been done into diseases transmitted by animals, including SARS, Japanese encephalitis and rabies, Wong said.

There is also a lack of expertise in food safety, which the veterinary school aims to address.

“Currently, many farms use antibiotics on poultry in farms, which is not strictly regulated,” he said.

“Long-term consumption of antibiotics can lead to antibiotics resistance.”

Wong said there is huge interest in veterinary medicine, citing a survey of 4,000 secondary school students which reveals that 40percent want to be vets.