Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said he stressed the importance of communication and cooperation when he met University of Hong Kong officials involved in a spat over senior appointments.

Vice-chancellor Zhang Xiang recently complained that he was left in the dark about appointments made by Priscilla Wong, chairwoman of the university's governing council.

Lee said he has met both Zhang and Wong and reminded them to put the interests of the university first.

"[HKU] doesn't belong to the vice-chancellor. It doesn't belong to any individual of the council. HKU belongs to all Hong Kong people," the CE said before attending this week's Executive Council meeting.

"In all matters, we must take the interest of HKU as the overriding principle. Universities need to seek continuous improvement."

Lee said there are certain requirements universities have to conform to when they are given billions of dollars in public money, including on governance, administration and finances.

Procedures need to be clarified if they are unclear, he added.

On Tuesday afternoon, the government announced the formation of a taskforce to investigate the controversy at the university.

"As the [Education Bureau] has gathered from relevant parties, there is inconsistency in the information provided by different parties and a need to clarify the facts and study how to deal with the matter," a government spokesman said in a statement.

The taskforce will carry out fact-finding, coordinate internal communication and cooperation within HKU, and make recommendations on improvement measures to ensure that public money is well spent and that the university operates within regulations on public grants.

Permanent Secretary for Education Michelle Li, and Tim Lui who chairs the University Grants Committee, will be on the taskforce and officials say they will start their work as soon as possible.
_____________________________
Last updated: 2024-06-11 HKT 15.53