***************************
In response to some press reports today (February 6) that the Secretary for Education and Manpower (SEM) was alleged to have pressed the President of the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd), Professor Paul Morris, to sack four teachers who frequently wrote articles against education policies, the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) issued the following statement:
An EMB spokesman stressed that Professor Arthur K C Li had served the education sector for years. As SEM, he fully respected the autonomy of tertiary institutions and academic freedom, and had never intervened in the personnel matters of HKIEd. The serious allegation was totally untrue and regrettable.
He also noted the recent remarks by the President and Vice President of HKIEd which had dragged EMB and SEM into the incident over the renewal of their employment contracts. He stressed that under the HKIEd Ordinance, the appointment of the President and Vice President should be effected by a resolution of the Council of the Institute. It was strictly an internal matter of the Institute and based on the independent decision of the Council, composed of veteran members of the education and professional sectors. The Bureau had no power to intervene.
Should there be external forces which had interfered with teaching staff matters of HKIEd, it would be a very serious problem. The spokesman was shocked to learn that the Vice President did not openly defend the Institute's autonomy in this respect over the past few years if the allegations were true but rather chose to make falsified claims against EMB officials when the discussions over the renewal of the contracts of the management were underway.
In the face of the inaccurate and malicious claims by some stakeholders of HKIEd, the EMB spokesman hoped that these people could express their opinions in a fair manner and avoid twisting facts or misquoting others' remarks. He deplored this smear tactic to try to gain public credit.
Ends/Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Issued at HKT 21:00
NNNN
