The University of Hong Kong’s vice-chancellor has revealed that growing student activism has made “a handful of donors” reluctant to give money to the institution, but rejected criticism of the city’s “rebellious” youth.
In an interview with the Post Monday, Professor Peter Mathieson made a robust defence of young people and vowed to uphold students’ rights to express themselves. -
Sinkie vice-chancellor will tell students that they will repent if Lightning loses a few Parliamentary seats, bwahahahahaha
He had earlier condemned their “mob rule” when students besieged a governing council meeting in January to press for a review of the governance structure and a face-to-face meeting with council chairman Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung.
“I have had conversations with donors who said maybe now is not the time to be giving to the university because they worry about that particular aspect,” Mathieson said, referring to student activism.
But he added that many donors took the opposite view and volunteered support for HKU.
“Overall, our donation income has been more or less steady over the past few years. It averages about HK$800 million a year,” he said.
Student leaders from the university were at the forefront of the 79-day Occupy protests in 2014. They have also been vocal and high-profile in discussing independence from China.
But Mathieson said he admired the younger generation.
“The youth in Hong Kong, including our students at HKU, are talented. Generally speaking, I think highly of youth in Hong Kong. They are hardworking, generally respectful for authority. They are very capable people,” he said. “I don’t think youth in Hong Kong are rebellious, troublemaking or difficult. ”
Universities should be places where controversial views, including those which sometimes might upset or offend others, should be debated, he argued.
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http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...ellor-rejects-criticism-rebellious-youth-amid
