HKU professors ‘insulted’ by ‘King Arthur’ Li’s claims over slip in academic standards
The chairman of HKU's academic staff association hit back after Exco member Arthur Li claimed the university’s ranking had dropped because “HKU professors did not attend to their proper duties”.
Executive Council member Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, who has just joined the University of Hong Kong council, might face legal action after he attributed a drop in the university's ranking to academics "failing to carry out properly their duties".
HKU Academic Staff Association chairman William Cheung Sing-wai said Li's remarks were insulting and he had cited the ranking criteria incorrectly.
Li - nicknamed "King Arthur" for his leadership style when he was education minister - joined the council last month in a move widely seen as paving the way for him to become its chairman.
His criticism of the university's academic staff was made on a radio programme shortly after his appointment, although he did not name anyone.
"Li's statement on the radio was an insult to all academic staff members who have worked tirelessly, and his reply has done nothing but reinforce his insulting message," Cheung said on Monday.
That reply came days after the association wrote to Li, demanding that he substantiate his remarks or retract the statement and apologise.
In his response, Li cited the ranking criteria of Britain's Times Higher Education supplement and wrote that the drop was due to either "some members of the faculty failing to carry out properly their duties in research and teaching" or "the overall calibre of the academic staff having deteriorated and become intellectually incompetent".