Education chief hopes ‘everyone can learn a lesson’ after University of Hong Kong head Xiang Zhang cleared of misconduct allegations
- Education minister Christine Choi says ‘everyone can learn a lesson’ after University of Hong Kong council clears vice-chancellor Xiang Zhang of misconduct allegations
- Half-year investigation by council finds allegations made in emails unsubstantiated, as Zhang says his ‘name has been finally cleared’
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin weighed in on the matter on Saturday after the governing council of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) said it had accepted a report submitted by a five-member panel that investigated a series of emails accusing Xiang Zhang of misconduct.
“I hope everyone can learn a lesson from this incident and let things go as the matter has already been settled,” Choi said. “We should all work together as we are not only facing local competition, we are facing competition from around the world, whether it’s in the development of talent or the strength of scientific research in higher education,” she said.
Last September, council members received anonymous emails accusing Zhang of inappropriate handling of donations from a mainland Chinese corporation, recruiting without bidding a headhunter from the United States to hire a pro-vice-chancellor in institutional advancement and a medical dean, and asking that the candidates have a US university background.
“On the evidence available to the panel, allegations made in the whistle-blower emails regarding misconduct by the vice-chancellor were not substantiated,” the council said late on Friday.
It said the panel investigated each of the matters and issues reported in the complaint emails in accordance with the university’s whistle-blowing policy.
Council committees would review the report’s findings and suggest measures to prevent such issues from occurring again, it said.
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Zhang said in the early hours of Saturday that his “name has been finally cleared” after six months of investigation and he condemned those spreading serious defamatory remarks against him and the university through anonymous emails.
“I have to point out that the individuals responsible for spreading these rumours have engaged in a severe campaign of slander against both myself and the university through anonymous emails,” he said. “Such behaviour deserves strong condemnation.”
He also said the university should exercise caution when using an anonymous whistle-blower reporting system to protect the rights of the accused.
Zhang, a Chinese-American scientist, pointed to the damage done to the university’s reputation by the incident, noting that some internationally renowned scholars who had already signed contracts with HKU had withdrawn.
“Colleagues now fear being involved in unfounded complaints, and such fear greatly hampers their daily work.” Zhang said. “Moreover, the university’s development plans have suffered setbacks and, in some cases, have been put on hold.
“The global talent recruitment scheme has been hindered and top international scholars who had previously committed to joining HKU were deterred.”
He pledged to strengthen communication with the council and lead the university’s management to implement reforms and continue to enhance efficiency.
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The investigation panel was led by Jimmy Ng Wing-ka, chairman of the university’s audit committee, and also consisted of two council members and two non-members.
Asked about how education authorities would try to attract renowned scholars to the city, minister Choi said they would improve their communication and explain Hong Kong’s actual situation to people overseas.
“I think with our combined efforts to demonstrate our sincerity, Hong Kong still has a fair amount of attractiveness in attracting high quality professors and talent in terms of our higher-education institutions,” she said.
