11. The principal's press conference and the decision to petition
To the great dismay of the parents and students, Miss Ivan
held another press conference the very next day, May 8, denying
all the charges against her, smearing the students before the
public, and reversing the facts. At the same time, the Education Department gave full support to her judgment, integrity and de-
cision made.
the
In a state of complete desperation and helplessness, parents suggested that they petition the Governor. The sixteen
teachers supported them.
F. All the Legitimate Channels Blocked
1. The principal ·
The teachers supported the parents as no attempts had been
made to understand the grievances of teachers and students.
Communication with the principal was killed by Miss Kwan's
bureaucratic and authoritarian ways of running the school and
her preconception of the teachers and students as trouble-makers,
Miss Kwan appeared only once at a formal meeting on September 1,
which was the first and the last staff meeting attendsu by all
the teachers of the school. whe was absent in all the pânel
meetings though the teachers had been asking for her presence
for the exchange of ideas over the school affairs.
The most natural and proper channel being blocked, the
teachers had to voice their grievances through other channels.
When the figures on the claims concerning Domestic Science
expenses were found to be altered, the teachers wrote to the prin-
cipal and the Bishop; but neither of them gave a reply.
<. The Management Committee
Between October and March, the teachers wrote on three occasions to the Management Committee over the unreasonable
policy of the school and repeatedly asked for a meeting to dis-
cuss the problems with the school managers and the supervisor
but all the attempts were fruitless. The management committee
just dia not reply. This was the same management committee on
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