UM former dean scandal | Tam says higher standards needed for teachers

John Mo Shijian

Alexis Tam has declared that the requirements for teachers should be higher than those for ordinary civil servants.

The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, claimed that the SAR government has higher standards in terms of both professional ethics and of professionalism for teachers when compared to ordinary civil servants.

Tam’s comment came last week, following reports of an alleged sex crime involving the former dean of the Graduate School of the University of Macau, John Mo Shijian.

Tam said he had been informed of the incident from media reports, upon which he immediately asked UM’s Rector to conduct an investigation and submit a report on disciplinary procedures.

UM said last week that the school had already submitted a report to Tam and had terminated its employment contract with the suspect, who was also the former dean of the UM Faculty of Law.

UM further stated that an interim dean of the Graduate School had already stepped into Mo’s position to ensure a smooth transition.

Secretary Tam said that the SAR government places great importance on the development of higher education in Macau.

The region’s Tertiary Education Service Office (GAES) released a statement last week following the revelation of the case.

“The Tertiary Education Service Office dedicates much attention to the case of a teacher from a higher education institution who is suspected of a crime. GAES has been supporting the institutions in building a team of excellent teachers and researchers. There should be a rather higher demand for teachers and researchers, both at the academic level, as well as a higher professional deontological conduct and moral quality,” the GAES statement reads.

The former UM leader, taken into custody, is accused of raping a mainland female student from another university in the city.