Chief Executive Donald Tsang yesterday threw his weight behind Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower, Fanny Law, urging people to be lenient towards her wrong use of words while reacting to two teachers' suicides recently.

Tsang told legislators that the government was shocked by the death of the teachers, whose family members blamed the heavy workload created by the educational reform for the suicides.

But guessing the reasons for the suicides superficially would be disrespectful to the departed souls, he said, and would in no way help conduct a rational discussion to tackle the problem.

Tsang said the educational reform, of which Law was a major architect, might have increased the workload of teachers but there was no denying the fact that it had benefited students greatly. The benefits include reducing unnecessary drilling and examinations and enabling students to learn in an enjoyable environment.

Tsang asked the community not to quibble over an official's slip of the tongue. Some people called for Law's resignation on Monday after she said that since only two teachers had committed suicide the educational reform should not be linked to the tragedies.

Education sector legislator Cheung Man-kwong asked Tsang if he thought Law's comment would hurt teachers' feelings.

Tsang replied that it was understandable for people to have mistakenly used inappropriate words under pressure.

"This happens to all of us and even me. We are all human," he said.

"You can certainly make a long list if you deliberately find the wrong comments I have made during the past 39 years. I think all public officials have made wrong comments... I believe we should look at the issues from a macro-perspective and should not target an individual."

Praising Law for her commitment to educational reform, he said: "Law's enthusiasm for (the right method of) education is no less than any other people. She is wholly dedicated to it. She has done a lot behind the scene to fight for resources for the educational reform. We all know that."

The suicides have prompted the government to immediately come up with ways to ease teachers' workload, Tsang said.

The three measures announced by Secretary for Education and Manpower Arthur Li on Wednesday - spending HK$1.65 billion on schools' development and setting up a hotline and an independent committee to ease teachers' workload - could help teachers.

"The government has been discussing the issue every day recently. Law has thought carefully about the problem. She is also highly concerned about it. Indeed, she is more concerned than me because she has been involved with the education sector for so many years. I respect her work," Tsang said.

"I don't think we should focus on Law's comment. We should look at the issues in a lenient way."

Speaking at an event organized by RTHK, Law said education reform had created some positive results and that the work should not be given up halfway.

She said she understood that teachers were busy, recognized their efforts in the implementation of education reform and hoped parents and students could express gratitude to them.

Her true feelings about teachers were reflected in what she wrote on a signboard specially commissioned for the event: "You are a gentle breeze. Let us walk together. Teachers, you are not alone. The society supports and respects you."

(HK Edition 01/13/2006 page2)