https://www.scmp.com/rss/326732/feed David Bishop is a principal lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Economics at The University of Hong Kong. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Across Hong Kong, classes from primary through to university are back in session. For many parents, administrators and students at all levels, one education goal has been paramount: get back to the way things used to be. But it is worth taking time to think about whether returning to “normal” is the ideal goal. For all its challenges, Covid-19 has provided an unprecedented opportunity to rethink and reshape our education system, and we should not squander it. Although education has been called... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3147738/hong-kong-should-join-mainland-china-embracing-education-reform-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3147738/hong-kong-should-join-mainland-china-embracing-education-reform-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Sep 2021 22:45:11 +0000 What should a government do when it is called out for complicity in relation to human trafficking and modern slavery? For the Hong Kong government, its response is to blindly divert money to the very industry that is the largest facilitator of these crimes.  The Hong Kong government recently endorsed a subsidy scheme for employment agencies, which will give up to HK$117.28 million (US$15.3 million) to the employment agency industry. The scheme was approved by the Anti-epidemic Fund Steering... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3091711/why-hong-kong-rewarding-employment-agencies-when-industry-complicit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3091711/why-hong-kong-rewarding-employment-agencies-when-industry-complicit?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Jul 2020 06:30:06 +0000 Last week, the Stop Slavery Summit was held in Hong Kong. Hosted by Thomson Reuters and the Hong Kong stock exchange, the event was engaging, meaningful, and attended by leaders from around the world. Noticeably absent from the event were any Hong Kong government bureaucrats in charge of the agencies tasked with fighting trafficking and slavery. Thus, for many, the summit has essentially turned into an annual reminder of how little the government knows or cares about modern slavery, trafficking... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2162485/why-hong-kongs-reputation-human-trafficking-black?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2162485/why-hong-kongs-reputation-human-trafficking-black?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Sep 2018 19:00:45 +0000 On February 9, the Hong Kong government took a big step towards securing the city’s economic future and rehabilitating its reputation for rule of law. That day, the Employment Ordinance was amended to curb the rampant abuses of one of Hong Kong’s largest black markets: domestic worker employment agencies.  The amendment increased penalties for overcharging workers and operating an employment agency without a licence from a fine of HK$50,000 to one of HK$350,000 and three years’ imprisonment. The... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2138411/hong-kongs-errant-domestic-helper-agencies-are-everywhere?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2138411/hong-kongs-errant-domestic-helper-agencies-are-everywhere?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Mar 2018 01:34:45 +0000