Macau (MNA) – David Quartermain, the former deputy director of the Macao Polytechnic Institute (IPM) Bell Centre of English told Macau News Agency (MNA) that the school’s President, Lei Heong Iok, is ‘downplaying’ accusations of misbehaviour against a teacher of the centre, David Winston Hill, adding the latter will ‘probably’ have his contract renewed.
Quartermain provided MNA with several e-mails sent to him between 2014 and 2015 by former students and teachers who complained to IPM management about Mr. Hill’s behaviour.
‘IPM has acted quickly to threaten legal action in an attempt to stop further revelations […]. Instead of addressing questions about why teachers are not monitored, or why poor student feedback has no effect on teacher re-appointment, IPM President Lei Heong Iok has focused his attention on downplaying complaints against teacher Hill,’ Mr. Quartermain noted in an e-mail sent to MNA.
The former IPM centre deputy director also said that despite the allegations, Mr. Hill would probably see his contract renewed on August 15, with the teacher having worked at IPM since 2005.
Contacted by MNA, the IPM had not confirmed if Mr. Hill’s contract will be renewed next week by the time of publication.
Accusations of sexual harassment
On November 2014, seven teachers from the Chinese province of Xinjiang who had attended a three months teacher’s training course at IPM sent a letter to Mr. Quartermain complaining about the teacher’s ‘poor teaching,’ mentioning he had repeatedly visited their dorm rooms late in the evening when they were already dressed for bed.
‘He did offer help with our lesson plans after class but sometimes he came in our hostel – seven female trainees live in the same floor – without making an appointment about the date or exact time, an when we met at the public area, some of us were wearing pyjamas, which made us feel quite embarrassed and annoyed,’ the letter wrote.
Quartermain claimed such behaviour he defined as ‘sexual harassment’ was followed by no action from the institution, although management was informed about it.
The former IPM’s Bell Centre of English deputy director also indicated that in the past academic year a 21-year old teaching assistant complained that the accused teacher had made ‘lewd remarks about the shape of her bottom,’ the result of which was that the teaching assistant being frequently too afraid to visit IPM-Bell when Mr. Hill was around.
Quartermain stated that IPM investigated the allegations, filed a report, but again took no action, while mentioning that Mr. Hill repeatedly made negative comments towards other staff members, mainly female.
Emotional stability
Former students were also said to have complained about the emotional stability of Mr. Hill as a teacher, with one letter from 2014 mentioning antagonist behaviors he had towards a fellow trainer at the Macau Xinjiang English Centre (MXEC).
MXEC is a center in the Chinese province established through the cooperation of Macao Polytechnic Institute, Xinjiang Normal University, and the Bell Educational Trust where courses in teacher training for university and middle school teachers of English is provided.
Complaints involved ‘language attacks’ towards that trainer and behaviours such as slamming the door during break and meeting times, broadcasting rock music in the office and unplugging the MXEC office’s phone line, among other behaviours that were said to have disrupted the department’s daily work.
Meanwhile, in November 2015, the IPM-Bell received complaints from local teachers who had attended a course subsidised by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) and headed by Mr. Hill.
In a letter written in behalf of the whole class, a teacher indicated that Mr. Hill had behaved in ‘really unprofessional and disrespectful’ manner by openly discussing his dislike if certain students or even Mr. Quartermain himself.
‘All of us were too afraid of having the class with Dave again because of his manner and his way of teaching. We felt unsafe to have class with him,’ the letter indicated.
After the complaints, Mr. Hill was replaced by another teacher, with the students/teachers satisfaction with the class increasing considerably, although Mr. Quartermain pointed to MNA that IPM had renewed Mr. Hill’s contract the following year.
Wicked members
Several e-mails sent by Mr. Hill to the IPM-Bell management with complaints about perceived deficiencies of other members of staff were also revealed, with Mr. Quartermain claiming these were frequently discussed with the former director of the centre, Prof.
Mao Sihui, and demands to Mr. Hill that he provided evidence for his claims never fulfilled.
In one letter, Mr. Hill said that the atmosphere in the centre was one of ‘selfish ingratitude and venomous, bilious, nonsense,’ and that he had to deal with a ‘crew of certified meanies, slanderers and entitled boors.’
Responses, or lack of them
MNA reached out to Mr. Hill for comments on the issues raised by Mr. Quartermain, with the teacher stating his lawyer would provide a statement to MNA today, which hadn’t been received when this article was published.
When contacted about the matter, the Office of the President at IPM only responded that it had ’emphasized during a press conference held on August 3 that the way the school is managed is in line with international standards’ and that it would take legal action against Mr. Quartermain. The institution did not volunteer to provide specific comments on the accusations.
The Tertiary Education Services Office (GAES) also referred to the press conference held last week by IPM, arguing the case would be submitted to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
‘As this is an internal investigation case within the Polytechnic, the Office will refrain from commenting further,’ GAES told MNA.
Quartermain added in his comments to MNA that he felt ‘surprised that IPM is directing its efforts towards silencing critics rather than working to overcome the problems of poor teaching’ he had described in his statements to MNA.
He also stated that perhaps IPM is now trying to ‘deter others from coming forward with similar allegations’ and that all his accusations were based on ‘documented proof’ and that he had taken legal advice to ensure that everything said could either be proved to be correct or his personal opinion, ‘neither of which is in breech of Macau law.’
Quartermain, who said had severed all ties with Macau, noted that IPM has not attempted to make any contacts with him.
‘[This] may again reveal a lack of interest in improving the quality of education it provides its students,’ he concluded.
