4,000 teachers endorse increased opportunities

Nearly 4,000 school teachers have responded to a signature campaign launched by the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers urging the government to provide more job opportunities for teachers.

The statement, signed by 3,751 teachers from 50 secondary schools and 117 primary schools, called on the government to increase the teacher-student ratio from 1:19.5 to 1:12.5, relax the eligibility criteria for early retirement schemes and open up the school sector to non-local students by charging them basic unit cost only.

'As teachers, we care about our students, and we are dedicated to education,' a spokesman from the association said.

'However, we are constantly distracted and demoralised by the problems of class size, school closure and unemployment due to the shrinking student population.

'The uncertainty in the teaching profession is driving young people away from pursuing a teaching career. We hope the government adopts the above measures to secure teachers' job prospects,' he said.