Fanny Law

Fanny Law (Traditional Chinese:羅范椒芬), GBS, JP, was a high-ranking civil servant in Hong Kong. She held the posts of was Secretary for Education and Manpower (until 2002), Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower (until 2006). In late 2006, she was appointed Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption 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.cite web
author= Scarlet Chiang | title = Li cleared of wrongdoing by HKIEd commission
date=June 21, 2007
publisher = "The Standard"
url= 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
accessdate = 2008-07-31 ]

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.cite web|url= 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
title= Time to move on, says Law
author= Albert Wong
publisher= "The Standard"
date= October 30, 2006
accessdate= 2008-07-31 ]

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.

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?"cite web|url= 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
title= Work pressure pushing teachers over the edge
author= Winnie Chong
publisher= "The Standard"
date= January 10, 2006
accessdate= 2008-07-31] Her comments caused a furore among teachers and the public. She apologised on January 10 for her "inappropriate" remarks about the suicide of the two teachers.cite web|url= 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|title= Education chief sorry over suicide remarks
author= Winnie Chong
publisher= "The Standard"
date= January 11, 2006
accessdate= 2008-07-31] 7,500 - 15,000 teachers held a protest on January 22 against Law and the educational reforms. Raymond H.C. Wong was appointed to replace her.

Commissioner, ICAC

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

External links

* [http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200002/29/0229106.htm A press release of the government with biographical notes of Fanny Law]