Hong Kong Education Bureau urged to be more transparent with handling complaints against teachers

Opinion is divided over a teacher’s deregistration for creating a lesson plan that touched on Hong Kong independence

But criticism is coming from both sides of the political spectrum over how the bureau carries out its investigations into teachers

Reading Time:3 minutes

Members of the opposition camp, showing support for the teacher, have called for free discussion in classrooms. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 10:54pm, 7 Oct 2020Updated: 1:11am, 8 Oct 2020

Critics from across the political spectrum in Hong Kong have demanded more transparency from the Education Bureau on how it handles complaints after it controversially delisted a teacher it accused of spreading separatist messages in school.

While opinions were split on the teacher’s deregistration for life, the bureau faced a chorus of criticism for its approach on Wednesday, a day after high-ranking education officials met the press to explain their decision.

Both former chief executive Leung Chun-ying and opposition lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen, of the education sector, argued for a formal hearing mechanism for teachers facing investigation, saying it would improve openness and give them a fairer chance to respond in person.

Tang Fei, vice-chairman of the pro-establishment Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, urged the authorities to make public their protocols and details involved in deregistering the unnamed teacher, for the benefit of others in the future.

The teacher worked at Alliance Primary School in Kowloon Tong. Photo: Felix Wong

Officials on Tuesday revealed they had removed the teacher from the professional register in September after concluding a lesson plan he devised was aimed at spreading pro-independence messages to Primary Five classes at the private Alliance Primary School in Kowloon Tong.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x