Hong Kong’s largest teachers’ union withdraws from Brussels-based federation amid criticism over joining foreign support for protests
- Move by 95,000-strong body comes after a week of upheaval in which it backed out of other alliances amid Beijing’s wrath
- It has also set up a working group to raise awareness of Chinese history and culture among teachers and students
Hong Kong’s largest teachers’ union has withdrawn from a Europe-based federation of 380 educators’ groups worldwide after city authorities cut ties with the local body, slamming it for being too “political”.
The pro-opposition Professional Teachers’ Union, which has 95,000 members, also said it had launched a working group to boost awareness of Chinese history and culture among educators and students.
The report cited lawyers in saying that authorities should consider banning the group under the Societies Ordinance.
The city’s education minister also told teachers in a letter to reconsider whether the PTU could “truly represent themselves”, citing a statement issued last week which slammed the union as “no different from any other political group”.
In that statement issued on July 31, a spokesman for the Education Bureau had criticised the PTU’s comments and actions in recent years, comparing the group to other political entities, a point also made in one of two state media commentaries published just hours earlier that day, also slamming the union.