Giving teachers in disaster zones spiritual training
A retired lecturer is helping mainland teachers from disaster-hit areas to care for their students' spiritual and emotional well-being
Since a magnitude eight earthquake struck Qingchuan county, Sichuan, five years ago, killing more than 80,000, a Hong Kong education expert has been working on a reconstruction of a different kind.
Retired lecturer from the department of educational studies at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, Dr Philip Hui Kwok-fai, recently led a group of 38 teachers from 12 schools from Qingchuan on a tour of religious sites, including the Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre and the Buddhist Wisdom Path on Lantau Island, and visits to schools that teach spirituality.
Teachers in disaster-struck zones face psychological issues
It was part of his project to help mainland teachers care for students' spiritual and emotional well-being.
"Frontline teachers in disaster-struck zones are confronting psychological issues," Dr Hui says. "Some are seeking answers to questions like 'Who am I?' and the meaning of life. It doesn't help when mainland experts talk about how teachers should love their students and be a role model."
Psychological education and emotional management are not emphasised in training for teachers on the mainland.
"Through the programmes in Hong Kong, the mainland teachers had the opportunity to observe how their counterparts here relate to their students and talk about non-academic matters, such as spiritual and moral values. Some even broke down in tears during the visits to schools," Dr Hui says.
The teachers also had a workshop at Dialogue in the Dark, the social enterprise based in Mei Foo, to help develop empathy for the blind and understanding of how trust and communication can empower a person.