Give us more respect, Macau teachers demand
Casino jobs 'poisoning attitudes'
Casino-driven wealth has blinded people to the need for good education and lowered their respect for teachers, Macau teachers say.
In what is believed to be the first teachers' demonstration in Macau, a group of about 50 middle-school educators joined the National Day rally on Monday in which thousands of people protested against graft, labour policies and a deeply unpopular traffic law.
But the teachers had their own axe to grind.
Maths teacher Jacob Fu Lam-kam said: 'It was not for pay rises that we took to the street. We were sounding the alarm and calling for society to pay more respect to education.'
Teachers were suffering from low morale as neither the students nor the government were listening to them, Mr Fu said.
Since 2004, a casino boom has seen billions of dollars pour into the former Portuguese enclave, which has overtaken Las Vegas as the world's No1 gambling hub. The boom has created tens of thousands of well-paid jobs for youngsters that require little education.
A primary school graduate, once coming of age, can easily join the ranks of over 20,000 card dealers and enjoy starting wages of 12,000 to 18,000 patacas a month - almost double the city's median income of 7,700 patacas.
It is not unusual for students to rebuke their teachers by pointing out that teaching jobs don't amount to much.
'They may tell you: 'As soon as I leave school I'll be having bigger pay than yours' or 'My mum had little school but earns more than you do',' Mr Fu said.
Middle school teachers in Macau usually earn 10,000 to 20,000 patacas a month.
Legislator Au Kam-san, who teaches ethics at a middle school, said the spread of materialism among students often frustrated Macau teachers and added to their stress.
'A sense of failure troubles teachers when their students idle away at school,' Mr Au said.
The money-first attitude also leaves many parents unconcerned about their children's academic performance, according to teacher Jack Ng Man-un, who took part in the National Day rally.
'To some parents, the meaning of school has been reduced to getting their children a diploma as soon as possible,' Mr Ng said.
Poor communication between teachers and education policymakers had deepened frustration.
The Education Committee responsible for making education policies includes a few headmasters but no members who are frontline teachers.
'There's little means to express our views to the high officials, who rarely consult frontline teachers,' Mr Ng said.
'Government policies tend to favour the casino-centred economy while ignoring its bad effects on education.'
