Complete transparency and accountability needed. Alvin Tan's scholarship was funded by taxpayers.
NUS stirs controversy by keeping details confidential
AsiaOne*|*Fri, Nov 09, 2012
SINGAPORE - The National University of Singapore (NUS) is stirring controversy by not revealing how it has punished sex blogger Alvin Tan, who is a student in the NUS Law Faculty.
It did not say how it had punished Tan, 24, and only told the media that its board of discipline had informed Tan of its decision. It also said that the board had concluded that his conduct was 'detrimental to the reputation and dignity of the university".
According to Lianhe Wanbao, the school is now facing calls by various groups of people, including NUS law faculty students, netizens and the general public, to reveal the disciplinary action it has imposed on Tan.
Mountbatten SMC Member-of-Parliament Mr Lim Biow Chuan, who is also Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, said NUS should not keep the details confidential so that other students will not follow Tan's example.
He told the Chinese daily that he was puzzled as to why NUS did not make the decision public.
Students interviewed by the Chinese daily also voiced the same opinion, saying that NUS should settle this issue in a transparent manner as students have a right to know how the case ended.
According to Lianhe Wanbao, netizens speculated that NUS did not reveal its decision because the punishment for Tan was not severe enough.
Some also said that this was not just an internal issue and was a societal problem, hence it should be disclosed.
Others said that the decision should be made public because Tan's Asean scholarship used 'Singaporeans' money'.
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