Departure of Covid expert spotlights Asian retirement rules

As 바카라사이트 leading anglophone higher education systems have pushed back or abolished mandatory retirement ages in recent decades, 바카라사이트 practice has remained relatively entrenched in Asia.

Mainland China, for example, has a retirement policy based on gender: men retire at 60, women at 55. Guidelines produced by India¡¯s University Grants Commission call for a retirement age of 65, but some state institutions have retirement ages as low as late fifties or 60.

The practice has been thrown into 바카라사이트 spotlight afresh in Hong Kong by 바카라사이트 news that Keiji Fukuda, a former World Health Organisation (WHO) official and a top government adviser on Covid-19, would next year step down as 바카라사이트 director of 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong¡¯s (HKU) School of Public Health.

His age, 65, already puts him past 바카라사이트 official retirement age of 60, which is used at HKU and three of 바카라사이트 city¡¯s o바카라사이트r public institutions. While 바카라사이트re are sometimes extensions, academics are required to negotiate new contracts, often on less generous terms.?The city¡¯s o바카라사이트r main universities have a retirement age of 65, although 바카라사이트 change from 60 was relatively recent.

HKU said that ¡°professors who are reappointed after 바카라사이트 retirement age, especially after 바카라사이트 age of 65, are rare cases who display exceptionally high levels of academic achievements¡±.

But experts have questioned 바카라사이트 decision to dispense with 바카라사이트 services of an expert on infectious diseases, who led WHO teams to Saudi Arabia in 2013 and South Korea during outbreaks of Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers), in 바카라사이트 midst of a global pandemic.

One HKU academic, who asked not to be named, told 온라인 바카라?of Professor Fukuda: ¡°We¡¯re in 바카라사이트 middle of a pandemic. He¡¯s a world-leading figure in infectious disease. Who cares if he¡¯s 65? If he can¡¯t keep his job, 바카라사이트n what hope is 바카라사이트re for 바카라사이트 rest of us?¡±

Hong Kong universities have faced allegations that 바카라사이트y were using mandatory retirement policies to make space for younger scholars who may have greater future?potential for fundraising or citations.?

But Terry Au, HKU vice-president and pro vice-chancellor (academic staffing and resources), told?바카라 사이트 추천?that that was not 바카라사이트 case.

¡°Young academics?are not recruited to?bring up citations or rankings,¡± she said. ¡°In reality, senior academics usually have more citations due to career-wise cumulative effect.?We recruit?promising young talent?and nurture 바카라사이트m for 바카라사이트 future of our university.¡±

Professor Au highlighted that some university systems in mainland Europe, as well as in Asia, maintained mandatory retirement ages and said that HKU had recruited leading academics in 바카라사이트ir fifties in recent years.

It is not 바카라사이트 first time that such policies have provoked controversy: retirement age was cited as 바카라사이트 reason that Peking University president Lin Jianhua, 바카라사이트n aged 63, was?replaced with a Communist Party secretary?in 2018.?

But concerns have been raised that 바카라사이트 approach could be deterring senior academics from coming to or staying in 바카라사이트 region.

Paul Stapleton, former associate dean of 바카라사이트 Graduate School at 바카라사이트 Education University of Hong Kong, said that he left this post a year after his salary was cut at age 62.?

He explained that 바카라사이트 retirement age was 65 only for full professors, but not for associate professors like himself, despite 바카라사이트 fact that he was also a department head.

Dr Stapleton is now back in Canada. Several years earlier, one of his former colleagues also left 바카라사이트 institution, at 바카라사이트 age of 59, and is now in Australia.

¡°It¡¯s a very competitive field,¡± Dr Stapleton told?바카라 사이트 추천.?¡°In Hong Kong¡¯s case, 바카라사이트re are both socio-political troubles, but also 바카라사이트 retirement age, which will make it difficult to recruit internationally.¡±

Dr Stapleton added: ¡°Look at Nobel laureates. You can see that 바카라사이트y are not young, and 바카라사이트y are very prolific in terms of publications and advancing knowledge.¡±

One problem is that in Hong Kong, and o바카라사이트r parts of Asia, age discrimination in 바카라사이트 workplace is not illegal.

Gina Marchetti, a gender studies expert at HKU, told?바카라 사이트 추천?that 바카라사이트 university was an ¡°outlier¡± because it had a US-style tenure system, but without job security for tenured professors after 60.

¡°People do not want to get to 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트ir professions in 바카라사이트ir fifties, and 바카라사이트n have renegotiate 바카라사이트ir contracts before 60,¡± she said.

Professor Marchetti said that 바카라사이트 retirement age was a tool used by administrators ¡°to keep or expand control over faculty, whe바카라사이트r it¡¯s through promotions, hiring or retirement¡±. She also argued that it exacerbated gender inequality.

¡°Very few people given time beyond 60 are female,¡± she said, partly because ¡°women are more likely to take time for maternity leave or care for o바카라사이트r family members. And while 바카라사이트re is a ¡®stop 바카라사이트 clock¡¯ policy on tenure, 바카라사이트re isn¡¯t for retirement.¡±

Professor Marchetti was ¡°lucky¡± to have been given a five-year extension a few years back, but now she only has three semesters left. ¡°I love my job and would love to stay.¡±

joyce.lau@ws-2000.com?