How severe is Hong Kong’s teacher shortage? Scarcity of qualified staff forces primary schools to hire untrained candidates as turnover rate soars
- 179 out of more than 500 primary schools do not have a full staff of qualified, registered teachers
- No shortage of graduates who want to teach, but competition is keen for limited PGDE training places
The lack of qualified candidates has forced schools to hire more untrained teachers who need a government permit to teach temporarily. At some schools, as many as three in 10 teachers do not have teaching certificates.
Latest official figures show that 179 out of more than 500 primary schools do not have a full staff of qualified, registered teachers.
In the 2018-19 academic year, 120 primary schools, or under a quarter of the total, were not fully staffed with trained teachers. At the time, the turnover rate was relatively low, at about 4 per cent.
The wave of emigration from Hong Kong in recent years has sent the turnover rate soaring to 8.5 per cent in the 2022-23 academic year, as many teachers resigned to move overseas, according to principals.
About 1,500 trained teachers qualify to be registered as teachers each year. The education authorities control the total, mindful that Hong Kong’s population is shrinking and fewer teachers will be needed in the future.