Polytechnic University president Teng Jin-guang has expressed hopes that all PolyU students will have the opportunity to go on exchange programmes to the mainland or to overseas countries by the 2027-28 academic year, to learn more about the nation and the world.

Speaking on RTHK's NSL Chronicles III programme on Saturday, Teng said the university has done a lot to encourage its students to go on such programmes.

"Of course I hope some students can go to the mainland to learn more about the country, and some can go global," he said.

"When there was a storm in society in 2019, it was rather difficult to engage in international exchanges. Things are now going smoothly."

Teng also noted that his university had made courses on Chinese history and culture mandatory three years ago, saying he doesn't think local primary or secondary schools provide enough teaching on these subjects

He also said his university faced no restrictions under the National Security Law in recruiting overseas talent, noting that it has hired 15 non-local scholars since 2021 under a government scheme to attract talent in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Teng added that he hasn't seen any changes at all in the level of academic freedom in Hong Kong over the past few years, noting that such rights are protected under the city's national security legislation.