Teachers having ‘defects’ in character, conduct could face lifetime classroom ban in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee
Teachers having serious “defects” in their character or conduct could be barred from the classroom for life in Hong Kong, as per the proposed amendments to the code of conduct for the profession, said an SCMP report.
Hong Kong’s education secretary Christine Choi Yuk-lin, speaking on a radio programme, said on Tuesday that the first draft of the latest code of conduct for teachers has been submitted to interested parties for discussions and suggestions.
She, however, added that teachers who are found giving any incorrect information to pupils because of their own insufficient knowledge would be allowed to re-register after a disqualification period.
Choi said the new guidelines define a “proper” teacher in relation to professional standards. She added the bureau would give a verbal warning to first-time and minor offenders, in the hope that the disciplined teachers would make efforts for improvement.
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Choi said written warnings or written reprimands would be given in more serious cases.
We plan to introduce a mechanism that allows teachers to return to the profession after suspension for breach of the code, rather than imposing life disqualification, she added.
Chief Executive of Hong Kong, John Lee Ka chiu, had last week announced that the new code of conduct for teachers, mentioned first in 2021, would be on the legislative agenda this year.The code sets out the professional conduct and behaviour expected of teachers and would be used to decide whether misconduct hearings were required in individual cases.
Choi said instructors found lacking in subject knowledge and hence teaching students wrongly could re-register after a period of suspension and further study.
She warned teachers not to use their subject to put across their personal views to pupils.
“We will have a group that considers how these punishments should be decided, whether the severity and length is appropriate, as well as if re-registration is allowed after teachers have addressed the issue,” she said.
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Choi said suspension of teachers’ licences for three years would be appropriate as it would be difficult for them to return to the classroom if the disqualification was longer, but highlighted that such teachers would need strong evidence to prove they were fit to go back into the classroom again.
“But when it involves character or conduct, it would be difficult [to prove] … I guess it will be difficult to prove they are suitable to teach if they hurt the students,” she added.
“We are looking at whether the teachers have distorted the facts and attempted to do something inappropriate in their capacity. It has nothing to do with their political stance,” the secretary said.
A new requirement for teachers would involve a knowledge test on the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, the national security law and the Chinese constitution to prove a “basic understanding”.
“This test is actually very easy, it lasts for only 30 minutes and you only need to answer 20 multiple-choice questions. If you get 10 or more questions correct, then you have passed,” Choi said.
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Some lawmakers on Tuesday urged the government to teach the Chinese Communist Party’s history to all teachers.
Lawmaker Stanley Ng Chau-pei, of the Federation of Trade Unions, said all teachers should understand the country’s development and the 20th party congress to help develop affection for the country.
“If they do not have the motivation to learn these things, how could they teach our students well?” Ng asked.
The bureau undersecretary Jeff Sze Chun-fai agreed teachers should learn party history and said some schools were considering whether to hold seminars to study the 20th party congress.
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