Explainer | What you need to know about the education row in which a Hong Kong teacher was disqualified for discussing independence
- Unprecedented decision to strip teacher of professional qualification over lesson plan has raised concerns of a possible chilling effect
- But education officials have insisted the lesson was inappropriate, and that any talk of independence has no place in classrooms
A teacher from the Alliance Primary School in Kowloon Tong has been stripped of his registration for life by Hong Kong authorities who said he promoted the notion of Hong Kong independence via materials prepared for pupils – something his defenders deny.
It was the first instance of a teacher being disqualified because of classroom content, setting off a protracted debate over what is appropriate content for students, and whether such a harsh punishment could have a chilling effect on educators.
Here’s what you need to know about the incident:
What had the disqualified teacher done, according to the Education Bureau?
The bureau on Monday said that the teacher was deregistered late last month for “serious professional misconduct”. It said a syllabus, teaching materials and a worksheet he designed for a portion of the school’s life education module had promoted a message of Hong Kong independence, in violation of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution.
The bureau also handed out reprimands and warnings against “lax supervision” to the school’s principal, vice-principal and three other teachers who taught the subject.