Educators and a legislator have called for the compulsory declaration of criminal records by applicants for teaching jobs after a man convicted of taking photographs up a woman's skirt was hired by a middle school.
The mathematics teacher, surnamed Chan, was convicted of using a mobile phone to take 15 pictures under a woman's miniskirt at Yau Ma Tei MTR Station in November 2008. He was sentenced to 220 hours' community service in May last year.
Chan left his teaching position at CCC Fung Leung Kit Memorial Secondary School in Tai Po following the conviction and had told the court he would take up a job in publishing.
But in July last year he applied and was accepted for a teaching position at Yu Chun Keung Memorial College No 2 in Pok Fu Lam without disclosing his conviction.
Dr Yu Wai-bing, chairwoman of the Council on Professional Conduct in Education, said yesterday the Education Bureau should ensure applicants convicted of sexual offences were screened out.
'The power to register a teacher rests with the bureau, not the school,' she said.
The council has been advocating the establishment of a professional teachers' body with statutory powers to deal with disciplinary matters within the profession since it was set up in 1994.