Hong Kong teachers with serious ‘defects’ in character and conduct could face lifetime classroom ban, education secretary warns
- Draft amendments to teachers’ code of conduct also throws lifeline to teachers to re-register after disqualification
- Education secretary said first draft of new regulations for profession now out for discussion and suggestions
Teachers found to have serious “defects” in their character or conduct could be barred from the classroom for life if draft amendments to the Hong Kong code of conduct for the profession are approved, the education secretary warned on Tuesday.
But Christine Choi Yuk-lin added that teachers who had given pupils incorrect information because of insufficient knowledge in their subjects could still re-register after a disqualification period.
Choi, speaking on a radio programme, said the bureau had finished the first draft of the latest code of conduct for teachers, which it had submitted to interested parties for discussions and suggestions.
She said the new guidelines aimed to define what it meant to be a “fit and proper” teacher in relation to professional standards.
She added the bureau would give a verbal warning to first-time and minor offenders, in the hope the disciplined teachers would learn their lesson.
But Choi said written warnings or written reprimands would be given in more serious cases.