Teacher threatens to call for boycott of SAR

A primary native English-speaking teacher (NET) is threatening to call for a boycott of teaching positions in Hong Kong unless the government compensates her for her 'nightmare' working here.

Joanne Miller said she was giving the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) 'one more chance' to pay out her contract before she filed a lawsuit.

She claims the Hong Kong education system affected her health and forced her to seek treatment for stress-related depression.

If successful, Ms Miller said she would donate 50 per cent to educational projects through Oxfam and Match International - a Canadian-based sustainable development organisation.

If denied, Ms Miller said she would send the details of her story to '500 newspapers, 131 universities, 44 TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) recruitment online sites, 17 embassies, members of parliament in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Britain and India, 57 human rights organisations, 12 television networks, 23 radio stations and an e-mail list of 1,287 individuals in the education field'.

Ms Miller was employed on the government primary NET scheme at St Patrick's School, Lok Fu, and St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Po Kong Road School Village, from August 16 last year to March 30. She said she had 20 years' teaching experience in Canada, South Korea and Brunei.

During her seven-month deployment in Hong Kong, Ms Miller claims she was 'bullied, insulted and criticised'.