The principal and teachers of Malaysia's oldest Chinese independent school have embarked on a campaign to stop, according to them, the board of governors' interference in the school's administration.

Goh Kean Seng, the principal of the Confucian Private Secondary School, or Zunkong, said a number of governors have openly violated the independence of the school's administration, incurring much resentment from the teachers.

This included an almost daily visit by one of the governors to the teachers' office with a series of directives and instructions.

The issue exploded into a crisis on July 19 when teachers and members of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) walked out from a meeting called by the school's management committee to discuss the grading of students' performance.

During the meeting, the committee which comprises, among others, the board of governors' deputy chairperson Liew Kon Seng and its adviser Kok Kim Tong, were said to have insulted the teachers.

According to the PTA's newsletter, Liew had bluntly reminded those at the meeting that the governors had the power to hire and fire the school's teaching and administrative staff.

Meanwhile, Kok was reported to have belittled the qualification of the teachers, telling them that unlike their colleagues in government schools, they did not have training certificates.

Echoing Liew, he added that the teachers' salaries are paid by the governors through donations given to the school.

Apology demanded

A week later, the outraged PTA passed a resolution at their annual meeting calling on the governors to apologise for hurting the pride of the teachers.

However, the board's chairperson Lee Yam Hooi was reported to have said that both Liew and Kok need not apologise.

According to Goh, the controversy in Zunkong is the result of meddling governors and no clear separation of powers between the 14-member executive committee formed from the board and the teachers.

"Under my employment agreement, it was stated that the autonomy of the administration would be guaranteed," Goh said.

However, he conceded that the powers of the governors are quite vague and that this has enabled the governors to interfere with the tasks and professionalism of the school's teachers.

Meanwhile, the board of governors plans to hold an emergency meeting next Wednesday to discuss the angry walkout by teachers and parents at the school's July 19 management committee meeting.

Goh also claimed that certain governors had devised a plan to dismiss him.

The 51-year-old principal was appointed to head the school last year following another dispute involving the previous principal and the former board of governors.

Mediating role

Early this year, Goh was told off by a key governor that the principal should not be working for Zunkong and Dong Jiao Zong at the same time.

Goh was one of the negotiators appointed by Chinese education movement Dong Jiao Zong to take part in the meetings to resolve the squabble between Umno Youth and the Malaysian Chinese Organisation Elections Appeals Committee, or Suqiu, late last year.

"One of them (governors) believed that my involvement in the Suqiu-Umno Youth meetings would anger MCA, since the party gained nothing from the meetings compared with Gerakan," he said.

Gerakan leaders were reported to have trumpeted their success at being able to play a mediating role in resolving the Umno-Suqiu tiff.

The meeting resulted in a number of contentious points, which allegedly challenged Malay special rights, in the Suqiu's memorandum being set aside.

Goh also pointed out that the board's deputy chairperson Liew has stopped a talk in April on Nobel laureate Mother Teresa for fear that the controversial relocation of the Damansara Chinese primary school would be discussed.

He said the board was worried that MCA would be offended should the issue, which was then hotly debated in the Chinese community, were to be raised during the talk.