Hong Kong visual arts teacher facing disciplinary action over ‘inappropriate’ political cartoons shared online
- Teacher says it is ‘unreasonable’ for him to face professional sanctions despite never having shown his cartoons to his pupils or sharing his political views at school
- Many of his cartoons satirise the events of the 2019 protests, such as one depicting a police officer sawing off lengths of his Pinocchio-like nose to make wooden baton rounds
A Hong Kong art teacher has resigned himself to the possibility that he may soon become the city’s latest educator to be deregistered for life, as officials weigh what disciplinary action to take over a series of “inappropriate” political cartoons he drew and shared online.
The teacher, who is surnamed Wong and who went by the handle “vawongsir” on social media, said on Friday that he had been given two weeks to explain himself to education officials before a penalty was handed down. That penalty could range from a verbal reminder at the lightest end of the scale, to lifelong deregistration at the harshest.
Wong told the Post he found it “unreasonable” that the Education Bureau had decided to sanction him professionally despite the fact that he had not shown any of his cartoons to pupils, nor shared his political views at school.
“I am prepared for the scenario that education officials will decide to strip my teaching registration,” he said.