To Yiu-ming, an assistant professor of the Department of Journalism at Baptist University, is chairman of the staff union. The union recently put up a petition opposing a new performance-based pay and reward mechanism. The school backed down after alumni and students took out newspaper ads in support of staff.
I am no hero, but I have to stay true to the principles I taught my students - to fight for the things you believed in.
I joined the Baptist University as a teacher in 1986. I love my work, and wouldn't trade it for anything else if given a choice.
Last month, the university demanded that we sign a new contract, in which assessment of our performance became quantified, gauged by the number of books we published, the amount of thesis we wrote.
It is a tangible system, using figures as a yardstick, but it is also a mean one, not only inducing adverse competition among teachers but also undermining academic freedom. There are projects and research whose importance may not surface in a short period. To avoid risk, staff may focus only on projects that are easily recognised.
The relationship between us and our superiors also hinges on money under the new system, as the upper rank decides whether or not I receive a bonus this year, or the amount I get.
I and five other professors refused to sign the contract. They tried to get rid of us because of the administrative difficulties we created by not agreeing to the new terms.
