The National Taiwan Normal University was under fire yesterday from lawmakers who demanded an immediate dismissal of its president for what they called lying and forgery of his credentials.
The Ministry of Education on Sunday decided to impose a month-long suspension of the university's president, Huang Kuan-tsae (黃光彩), but Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Justin Chou (周守訓) and People First Party (PFP) Legislator Lee Yung-ping (李永萍) yesterday called for a more strict punishment.
"The ministry's decision does not solve the problem," Chou said. "Huang not only is unqualified for the job, but also has lied and fabricated his credentials."
PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Huang, who asked for two-weeks leave yesterday so the the ministry could conduct its investigation, said that there is nothing wrong with his credentials.
The university president, however, said that he will accept the ministry's final decision.
In addition to demanding Huang's immediate dismissal, Chou said Education Minister Tu Cheng-sheng (杜正勝) should step down to so he does not try to protect Huang, who Chou claimed enjoys a close relationship with with the minister. Chou also demanded the education ministry to conduct an investigation into the matter and the university find a replacement for Huang as soon as possible or to face a freeze of its annual budget.
According to Chou, Huang got the job not because of his qualifications, but because of his close relationship with Tu.
"Huang has never taught a day in his life nor obtained any teaching qualifications," Chou said. "He got the job simply because he knows some government big shots."
Chou also alleged that Huang lied about his work experience. He also said Huang claimed that he served as the "director" of the Institute of Systems Science at the National University of Singapore from 1989 to 1993.
However, according to the KMT legislator, a letter from the president of the University of the Singapore addressed to Tu last November indicated that Huang was the institute's "program manager" and that he was no longer with the institute as of 1992, when he was appointed president of SingaLab Pte Ltd, a private laboratory with joint projects with IBM Development Labs.
While a book coauthored by Huang and used as a proof of his qualifications for his promotion application was published in 1998, Chou said that Huang lied about the publication date and claimed that it was published in 1999.
In response, the education ministry yesterday promised an investigative team would be sent to the University of Singapore to collect first-hand information on the matter.
In related developments, a Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) lawmaker yesterday accused National Taiwan University (NTU) of sheltering one of its associate professors, who was suspected of plagiarism in one of the articles she used for her promotion last year.
TSU Legislator Tseng Tsan-teng (
Although the university has dismissed such a charge, Liu Wen-huei (劉文惠), an official with the education ministry's Council of Academic Review and Evaluation, yesterday said he would urge the university conduct another investigation into Tseng's allegations.
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