Minister hopes for lessons learned in misconduct saga
Let things go, Christine Choi says, as HKU head is cleared of allegations made in anonymous emails
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin has said she hopes “everyone can learn a lesson” and “let things go” after the governing body of the city’s oldest university cleared its vice-chancellor of allegations of misconduct.
Choi weighed in on the matter yesterday after the governing council of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) said it had accepted a report submitted by a fivemember 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.”
Last September, council members received anonymous emails accusing Zhang of inappropriate handling of donations from a mainland corporation, recruiting without bidding a headhunter from the US to hire a pro-vice-chancellor in institutional advancement and a medical dean, and asking that the candidates have a United States 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.
Zhang said yesterday 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 whistleblower 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.”
I hope everyone can learn a lesson … and let things go as the matter has already been settled CHRISTINE CHOI, EDUCATION MINISTER
He pledged to strengthen communication with the council and lead the university’s management to implement reforms and continue to enhance efficiency.
The investigation panel was led by Jimmy Ng Wing-ka, chairman of the university’s audit committee, and also included two council members and two non-members.
Asked about how authorities would try to attract renowned scholars to the city, Choi said they would improve 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 highereducation institutions,” she said.