School sorry for hiring unregistered teachers
An international school apologised yesterday for employing 16 unregistered teachers. The ISF Academy in Pok Fu Lam said all of its teachers were qualified and it had just been late in submitting registration papers.
An international school apologised yesterday for employing 16 unregistered teachers.
Its statement followed a warning letter from the Education Bureau demanding an investigation and a meeting with education officials last week.
The school, established in 2003 and charging annual tuition fees of up to HK$180,000, blamed "an administrative misstep" and said that all required documents would "be submitted in a timely manner".
"All [teachers] employed are qualified and professional educators who are eligible for registration to teach in Hong Kong," the school said.
"We sincerely apologise to all for any inconvenience."
A spokeswoman for the bureau confirmed that 16 teachers had been teaching at the private international school before any registration applications were submitted.
They were now applying for registration and the bureau would follow up, she added.
"We already held a meeting with the school's management last Friday to demand they address the registration issue of the teachers involved and to ensure that all teachers are able to meet requirements," Secretary for Education Eddie Ng Hak-kim said yesterday.
The bureau gave no personal details of the teachers and the school did not say whether they would have to take leave before they could be registered.
In general, the Education Bureau processes and makes a decision on a teacher's application for registration in six months.
The school charges annual tuition fees of HK$142,550 for primary and HK$165,150 to HK$180,000 for secondary pupils.
