rthk.hk - Express NewsToday, 4:41 PM
Johannes Chan made the comments during a speech at the Foreign Correspondents' Club. Photo: RTHK
Academic freedom and institutional autonomy in Hong Kong is being harmed by having the Chief Executive as the chancellor of all of the city’s publicly funded universities, according to a former law dean at the University of Hong Kong, Johannes Chan.
In a speech about academic freedom at the Foreign Correspondents' Club, Professor Chan described the chancellorship of the Chief Executive as “inimical”.
“When interference comes from the chief executive's office or a senior government official, how can the Chief Executive continue to be the chancellor of the university," he asked.
"How could academic freedom, in the sense of freedom from interference from government, be reconciled with the fact that the head of government remains the chancellor of the university,” he said.
“For historical reasons, the Chief Executive is made the chancellor of all universities in Hong Kong. There is no reason why this practice should not be changed.”
Chan said that the Hong Kong Institute of Education’s likely transformation into a full university next year presents a good opportunity for the issue to be raised properly.
The governing council of the HKU voted against appointing Chan as a pro-vice-chancellor in September, following months of delay.
Chan was the only person recommended for the job by a search committee. Critics say the decision was a politically-motivated move to punish Chan for his close ties to a key Occupy Central organiser, Benny Tai.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1228903-20151210.htm
