Questions have been raised about whether it is appropriate to have a government representative on the HKIEd council.
The governance of the institute was scrutinised during the inquiry, with claims the government representatives played a passive role.
Secretary for Education and Manpower Arthur Li Kwok-cheung testified that having a government representative on the council was not 'vital' but 'desirable' because it offered an avenue for communication.
In its report, the commission concluded that government representatives should 'pro-actively' explain government policies on the HKIEd's development: 'Such participation should not be viewed as an attempt to interfere with its ... autonomy.'
But Academic Staff Association vice-chairman Leung Yan-wing questioned why HKIEd was the only tertiary institution to have a government representative on its council.
'Because I think autonomy is important ... my personal view is that we should improve conversation, dialogue, mutual understanding, but I have doubts about having a representative on the council,' he said, adding that he was also concerned that the majority of council members were appointed by the government.