Hong Kong’s education system fails teachers as much as students, as recent tragedies have shown
- Teachers have a heavy workload that includes promotional activities and administrative duties, even as they strive to give their pupils the attention they need
I am writing to express my condolences to the family of the teacher who fell to her death on a primary school campus (“Teacher found dead after falling six floors from school building in Hong Kong”, March 6).
I deeply share the grief of the teacher’s family. As a fellow educator, I understand what she might have gone through. Our current education system fails both teachers and students.
As a veteran teacher with about three decades of experience, I have witnessed and braved all the storms under various reforms in both our education and examination systems. My peers have mostly withdrawn from this inhumane battlefield with its skewed values in education administration. Most have resorted to early retirement or changed their careers.
Why have even experienced teachers, one after another, felt cornered and at a dead end, when we are supposed to be teaching our students to stay strong when the going gets tough? Is it time for each education leader to reflect on their administration strategies, rationale, education consciousness and, most importantly, human values?
Teaching has always been a highly stressful career, more so in Hong Kong. However, there are still fighters in this field. Most teachers are working not just for a living, but also because of their mission to educate the future pillars of our society. They are silent workers, passionate and professional. They endure their demanding workloads because they still enjoy seeing happy smiles on their students’ faces, their improvement in learning, their talents in various activities and their personal growth.
But why are we always deprived of our time and our minds and souls taxed by taking part in unnecessary promotional activities, instead of focusing on our core role as teachers?
May I get a prompt and concrete response from our Education Bureau or education leaders, before another life is lost?
Kendra Ip, Hung Hom