#THREAD HK Education Minister said the authority will adopt harsher measures on teachers arrested and complained in protest-related incidents to “correct mistakes”.
Around 80 teachers were arrested in #HKProtests and 123 complaints on teachers were filed to the Buro.
Around 80 teachers were arrested in #HKProtests and 123 complaints on teachers were filed to the Buro.
Among the 123 complaints, 74 have completed probe. 44 were found valid. 13/44 have received foloup actions including 7 extortion letters, 5 condemnation letters, 1 warning letter. 31 cases are waiting for or considering teachers’ explanations.
1 government school teacher was suspended for using “inappropriate teaching materials”
2 subsidised school teachers were suspended for speech that has “deviated common values recognised by the society”.
2 teachers left their jobs amid complaints and probes.
2 subsidised school teachers were suspended for speech that has “deviated common values recognised by the society”.
2 teachers left their jobs amid complaints and probes.
Whe ask if any complaint involved teachers in pro-police and pro-gov assemblies of speech, Permanent secretary Ingrid Yeung said the buro does not concern with whom the teachers sided with but the values exhibited in what they said and did.
Without specifics, the officials said the speech that led to complaints and punishments involved “hatred, discrimination, bias, incitement”.
Education Minister Kevin Yeung raised an example of “hatred against the rich” while emphasised that was not one of the actual cases.
Education Minister Kevin Yeung raised an example of “hatred against the rich” while emphasised that was not one of the actual cases.
The officials denied crippling the teachers’ freedom of speech. “We are not taking away any freedom of speech. Teachers can still criticise the policies and administration,” the minister said. “We hold higher moral standards for teachers because they would affect the underaged.”
The bureau, in a letter to school heads today, required schools to suspend a teacher once he or she was arrested. The buro would consider revoking the teacher’s license - even before the police probe or court verdict - if it considered the teachers’ misconducts were very serious.
The minister said the buro might move to disqualify a teacher even if a subsidised school, as the employer, had not fired the teacher. But the officials said this was not “sentencing before trial” because they are responsible for supervising the teachers ethics and qualities
The permanent secretary said the problematic teaching materials they found were mainly assessment papers, working sheets and supplements. They will not target teachers and materials but will ask school supervisors to look closer.
Education minister Kevin Yeung said he agreed that national education should be done “wider and more in-depth” in HK but the buro currently has no intention to tune it into a separate subject. Education in HK remains an issue of HK, he said when asked whether to folo Macau model.
