Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - The head of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong is stepping up his campaign against the government's proposal to control school management. In advertisements in six Chinese-language newspapers circulated in the territory, Bishop Zen Ze-Kiun publicly defended the freedom of education and accused Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, Hong Kong's Secretary of Education, of not responding to questions raised to the government by various organizations, and of not consulting them adequately.
According to the bishop, the new Education (Amendment) Bill 2002 was to reinforce and centralize government control over schools by handing authority over to committees, 60 percent of which would be comprised of parents, alumni, teachers and community representatives. This would reduce the decision-making power of school-sponsoring bodies.
For Monsignor Zen, the government is seeking to remove the influence of the educators and administrators responsible for the schools, though this removes the guarantee that committees are to "respect the philosophy and mission of the sponsoring bodies."
In the inserts circulating in the newspapers the bishop explains that he is not opposed to the democratization of schools, but the final responsibility should be reserved for those who offer the educational service.
Mons. Zen has proposed a public debate with Arthur Li and with Fanny Law (Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower) but neither of them has accepted the challenge.
Yesterday at Legco (Hong Kong's Parliament) there was a Legislative Council meeting to address the topic of school and education. Mr. Li was to explain the new law and answer legislators' concerns. But 4 hours before the meeting, he declined the invitation for other engagements in the government.