Move on from HKU controversy, says Christine Choi

Education Secretary Christine Choi on Saturday said good governance is crucial to academic institutions, after the governing council of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) found misconduct allegations against its president unsubstantiated. Zhang Xiang, the HKU president and vice-chancellor, was recently embroiled in a controversy, leading to a five-member panel being formed to look into the matter. “On the evidence available to the panel, allegations made in the whistleblower emails regarding misconduct by the Vice-Chancellor were not substantiated,” a statement issued late on Friday said. Speaking on a radio programme, Choi said she hopes everyone can learn from the experience and move forward. "Our universities in Hong Kong are globally recognised for their quality. We have five of the world's top 100 universities in one city, and one of the reasons is good governance," she said. "If there are issues or doubts, the school's management committee will follow up and handle them seriously. But I hope that we can learn from this experience, move on from the past and work together." In response, Zhang said, while his name had been cleared, the damage done to the university "cannot be easily remedied". "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 wrote in a statement. Zhang condemned those who spread rumours against him and the university, adding that the anonymous reporting system for whistleblowers should be used properly.