Advertisement
Advertisement
Johannes Chan's appointment as pro-vice-chancellor was blocked on Tuesday. Photo: SCMP Pictures

University of Hong Kong's delay in promoting liberal scholar Johannes Chan attracts chorus of criticism

Critics see no reason why pro-democracy legal scholar Johannes Chan, who is the choice of a search committee, is still not appointed yet

Two senior educators have joined a chorus of criticism over the University of Hong Kong's deferred promotion of a pro-democracy scholar to a key managerial post.

The mounting controversy has also triggered calls to review the university's governing system, which is partly controlled by the government.

At the centre of the row is former law dean Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun, who has been recommended for the job of pro-vice-chancellor for academic staffing and resources. But the HKU council - the university's governing body - voted 12-6 on Tuesday to defer discussions on the appointment until it filled the post of provost, which supervised pro-vice-chancellors.

The senior management team would abide by the council's decision, an HKU spokesman said yesterday.

In the interim, Professor Paul Tam Kwong-hang, the pro-vice-chancellor overseeing research, would assume the role of provost starting from tomorrow.

Former HKU pro-vice-chancellor Cheng Kai-ming disagreed with the council's decision to defer its deliberations.

"I have no idea why [the decision] is left to the [next] provost and not the president," Cheng told the , referring to top HKU chief Professor Peter Mathieson, who opposed the deferral at Tuesday's meeting when at least four pro-government council members spoke in favour of it.

Cheng said the considerations in Chan's promotion were "purely political, under the guise of administrative discrepancies. There is no reason why the council has to go beyond the judgment of the [search committee]", which had picked Chan.

The university's new reporting lines were announced in March by outgoing provost Professor Roland Chin Tai-hong in a letter to all staff. Three pro-vice-chancellors, including the post earmarked for Chan, are to report to the provost, while the other two report to the president.

Ma Fung-kwok, a member of the Legislative Council's education panel, said people should respect the HKU council's decision because council members were the most familiar with the situation.

Dr Ng Shun-wing, head of the Institute of Education's department of education policy and leadership, found the arrangement "unusual".

The common practice, Ng said, would be to require all pro-vice-chancellors and provosts to report to the president directly.

He also said the composition of the university councils must be changed to ensure their independence. "In a society moving towards democracy, the governing bodies of universities should have more elected members so as to fit the needs of the development of society and universities," Ng said, citing European and American examples.

On the 23-member HKU council, employees and students occupy eight seats. The city's chief executive, who is the chancellor, names six outsiders, while the council can appoint six more.

The delayed appointment prompted more than 20 alumni, mostly politicians, to protest during the march for democracy. They will launch a petition and a candlelight vigil to urge the council to make up its mind soon.

 

 

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: HKU takes flak over delayed promotion
Post