Hong Kong, Jun 18 (IANS): The Open University of Hong Kong will be renamed "Hong Kong Metropolitan University" from September 1 if a bill to retitle the institute is passed by local legislature, the city government announced on Friday.

The Open University of Hong Kong (Amendment) Bill 2021, seeks to amend The Open University of Hong Kong Ordinance (Cap. 1145) to change the Chinese and English titles of the institute, reports Xinhua news agency.

The bill was gazetted on Friday and will be introduced into the Legislative Council on June 23.

If the bill is passed, the new title of the university will take effect on September 1.

In December last year, the university's council approved the new title, which conveys the idea that the teaching and research are modern and forward-looking, and address the contemporary needs of Hong Kong and neighbouring regions.

Established in 1989, The Open University of Hong Kong has developed into a full-fledged university providing high quality and flexible university education at various levels to secondary school graduates and working adults.

Currently, it has a headcount of more than 9,600 students on its full-time face-to-face programmes, occupying one-sixth of all undergraduate students in Hong Kong.