Fanny Law

Fanny Law
Commissioner, Independent Commission Against Corruption
In office
31 October 2006 – 30 June 2007
Preceded by Raymond Wong
Succeeded by Timothy Tong
Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower
In office
1 July 2002 – 31 October 2006
Succeeded by Raymond Wong
Secreatary for Education and Manpower
In office
3 July 2000 – 30 June 2002
Preceded by Joseph Wong
Succeeded by Arthur Li
Personal details
Born February 24, 1953 (1953-02-24) (age 59)[1]
Spouse(s) Law In-hong
Relations Henry Fan (brother)
Fanny Law
Traditional Chinese 羅范椒芬
Simplified Chinese 罗范椒芬

Fanny Law (born 24 February 1953 [2] in Hong Kong), GBS, JP, was a high-ranking civil servant in Hong Kong. She held the posts of Secretary for Education and Manpower (until 2002), Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower (until 2006). In late 2006, she was appointed [[Commissioner, Independent Commission Against Corruption|Commissioner of the ICAC of Hong Kong.

Law resigned from the post following a government inquiry into interference with academic freedom at the Hong Kong Institute of Education while she was Permanent Secretary.[3]

Contents

Government career

Law joined the Government as an Executive Officer in September 1975. She transferred to the Administrative Service in October 1977. Between February 1991 and April 1994, she served as Deputy Secretary for the Civil Service. Between April and November 1994, she was Deputy Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands. In November 1994, she was promoted to Senior Assistant Director and later Deputy Director, Housing Department. Law headed the Chief Executive's Office from January to July 1997; and was made Commissioner for Transport in August 1997. She was made Director of Education in November 1998, and secretary for education and manpower in 2000. The post became Permanent Secretary in 2002, because of former Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa's ministerial reforms.[4]

Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower

During her term of service, Law was responsible for large-scale reforms in education, Law was often criticized by educators who thought her ideas were out of touch with realities on the ground. Some of her public speeches also provoked controversies; teaching union representatives called for her resignation on several occasions.[4]

In early January 2006, two teachers committed suicide, three other teachers' suicides in 2005 were blamed on job-related stress. Law rejected causal connections between the deaths by suicide of two teachers due to education reforms, saying: "If the prime reason [for the deaths] is education reforms, why have there been only two teachers who have committed suicide?"[5] Her comments caused a furore among teachers and the public. She apologised on 10 January for her "inappropriate" remarks about the suicide of the two teachers.[6] 7,500 – 15,000 teachers held a protest on 22 January against Law and the educational reforms. Raymond H.C. Wong was appointed to replace her.

Commissioner, ICAC

Law resigned from her post at 20 June 2007 after the HKIEd probe accused her of interfering with academic freedom.[3]

Tung Wah Group of Hospitals

In December 2008, the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals announced her appointment as Chief Executive. Law declined the post in February 2009, after the government barred her from working in education-related work until 2011. There are fears over potential conflicts of interest: this decision was linked to the public consultation on post-service employment of civil servants following the row over Leung Chin-man's appointment to a local property developer.[7]

References

  1. ^ http://cablenews.i-cable.com/reference/people/ref-people-gov-0088.html
  2. ^ http://cablenews.i-cable.com/reference/people/ref-people-gov-0088.html
  3. ^ a b Scarlet Chiang (21 June 2007). "Li cleared of wrongdoing by HKIEd commission". The Standard (Hong Kong). http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=47373&sid=14151427&con_type=1&d_str=20070621&sear_year=2007. Retrieved 31 July 2008. 
  4. ^ a b Albert Wong (30 October 2006). "Time to move on, says Law". The Standard. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=30567&sid=10610672&con_type=1&d_str=20061030&sear_year=2006. Retrieved 31 July 2008. 
  5. ^ Winnie Chong (10 January 2006). "Work pressure pushing teachers over the edge". The Standard. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=9531&sid=6181378&con_type=1&d_str=20060110&sear_year=2006. Retrieved 31 July 2008. 
  6. ^ Winnie Chong (11 January 2006). "Education chief sorry over suicide remarks". The Standard. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=30567&sid=10610672&con_type=1&d_str=20061030&sear_year=2006. Retrieved 31 July 2008. 
  7. ^ Fanny Fung (26 February 2009). "Ban sees Fanny Law give up Tung Wah post". South China Morning Post (Hong Kong): pp. A6. 

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Joseph Wong		 Secretary for Education and Manpower
2000–2002		 Succeeded by
Arthur Li
Succeeded by
Stephen Ip
as Secretary for Economic Development and Labour
Government offices
Preceded by
Helen Yu		 Director of Education
1998–2000		 Succeeded by
Matthew Cheung
Civic offices
Preceded by
Raymond Wong		 Commissioner, Independent Commission Against Corruption
2006–2007		 Succeeded by
Timothy Tong