Exclusive | Most of Hong Kong’s teachers were professional during protests, despite misconduct complaints: education chief
- Reports of misconduct were made against 171 of the city’s 70,000 educators, a proportion Kevin Yeung says is ‘not high’
- Schools are to set up counselling programmes for students arrested during the protests, and emphasise teaching proper values as well as knowledge about the mainland
Reflecting on the movement that started almost a year ago, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said there would be more emphasis on teaching proper values and knowledge about mainland China.
Yeung also expressed concern over whether political demonstrations in schools would return as face-to-face classes resumed later this month, following the emergence of online messages appealing to students to revive activities such as sit-ins and chanting slogans.
According to the Education Bureau, there were 171 protest-related complaints involving teachers’ misconduct between last June and January, including sharing hate messages and insults. Wrongdoing was found in 78 of the 125 cases in which initial investigations were completed.
Of the 39 cases that were followed up, 13 teachers were given written reprimands and four received warning letters, while the rest were given advisory letters or verbal reminders.