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Polly Hui

Donald Tsang dragged into HKIEd controversy

After startling claims of institutional rape and government meddling, the head of the Hong Kong Institute of Education went out with a bang this week as he left the stand after seven days of giving evidence at a commission of inquiry.

Institute president Paul Morris wrapped up evidence on Thursday at the inquiry investigating allegations of government interference in the affairs of HKIEd with another claim that cast the government in a negative light.

Under re-examination, Professor Morris claimed that a visiting Cambridge professor had told him the Education and Manpower Bureau's attitude towards  HKIEd was one of 'hatred'.

Robin Alexander allegedly made the comment after meeting the secretary-general of the University Grants Committee, Michael Stone.

Chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen was also dragged into the controversy as different versions emerged of a meeting he held with institute council chairman Thomas Leung Kwok-fai.

Professor Morris's allegation on his final day on the witness stand was the latest in a string of damaging claims against government officials.

The president previously testified that education chief Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, a former Chinese University vice-chancellor, pressured him to merge the HKIEd with the university. He said former council chairman Simon Ip Sik-on told him that Professor Li said the Tai Po teacher training institute would be 'raped' if it refused to merge.

Professor Morris also told the inquiry he came under pressure from former permanent secretary for education and manpower Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun to sack four academics who had publicly criticised the government's education reforms.

Different accounts of the meeting that took place  in August last year between the chief executive and Dr Leung emerged after a government note of the meeting was read to the inquiry.

The note read: 'Given the benefits which the merger could bring to Hong Kong he [Mr Tsang] would like the proposal to proceed as soon as possible.'

But Professor Morris said this was not the message he received from Dr Leung when he briefed him about the meeting.

'Dr Leung said he didn't get the impression the chief executive wanted to push the merger. He portrayed the agenda as being Arthur's agenda,' he said. Dr Leung is due to testify later.

On Wednesday, counsel for the inquiry, Benjamin Yu SC, questioned Professor Morris about his claim that Mrs Law asked him to sack senior academic Lai Kwok-chan and then-lecturer Ip Kin-yuen in a telephone conversation on October 30, 2002, a day after a seminar on small-class teaching. Mr Ip was an advocate for reducing class sizes.

Johnny Mok Shiu-luen SC, counsel for the Education and Manpower Bureau, had previously painted a positive picture of the relationship between Mrs Law and Mr Ip, stressing that Mrs Law even attended the academic's wedding.

Mr Yu claimed the only evidence that their relationship had deteriorated was a phone call between Mr Ip and Mrs Law more than a year after the alleged phone call to Professor Morris. Mr Ip's witness statement referred to an angry phone call he had with Mrs Law in December 2003 when she criticised him over his comments on teachers' workloads.

When Mr Yu asked Professor Morris whether there was any basis for suggesting the relationship between Mrs Law and Mr Ip had deteriorated in October 2002, Professor Morris said: 'Unless, of course, it was his active promotion of small-class teaching.'

Mr Yu questioned Professor Morris's criticism of the government's position on reducing class sizes. The president had criticised the government's decision to conduct local research before implementing small-class teaching, given there was a wealth of international research outlining the benefits.

But Professor Morris said: 'My experience of education policy being based on research, it's really quite minimal.' He added that the chief executive's support for small classes in his re-election manifesto was a political decision rather than one based on research.

Mr Yu also asked the president why Mrs Law would continue telling him to sack staff given that he had never followed her 'instructions'.

'Maybe she's very impetuous. I can't explain what her motive was,' Professor Morris said.

Under earlier questioning by Mr Yu, Professor Morris admitted he could have misinterpreted Mrs Law's comments in November 2004 that he took to be a call to dismiss Wong Ping-man, now associate professor. But although it was a possibility, he told the inquiry: 'It's certainly how I interpreted it.'

On his last day of giving evidence, Professor Morris prompted laughter from the public gallery when asked why he told two colleagues about his conversations with Mrs Law and Professor Li.

'I would need to talk to people about the ongoing events for the purpose of sharing it and my own mental health. I think for some of the things I was  going through, if I kept it to myself I thought I would probably end up in Castle Peak by now,' he said.

As he left the inquiry on Thursday,  his only comment to reporters was: 'Glad it's over'.

The inquiry continues today with institute academic vice-president Bernard Luk Hung-kay expected to give evidence.



'Rape, hate' and still a lot more to deliberate