A survey in Hong Kong shows that there is a potential crisis of mass exodus from the teaching profession due to “increasing political pressure.
The Education Professionals Association recently conducted a survey of its members, asking whether they intended to leave the education sector in Hong Kong and their views on the state of education and society in Hong Kong. The survey reflected that 40% of the teachers surveyed intended to leave the education sector in Hong Kong. When asked why, 70% said it was because of “increasing political pressure”. HKPTU asked the government to improve governance and asked the authorities to stop interfering with the profession.
The HKPTU conducted an online questionnaire survey from 29th of last month to 5th of this month, interviewing teachers and principals of secondary schools, elementary school, kindergartens and special schools, and received a total of 1,178 responses. According to the survey, 40% of the teachers interviewed intend to leave the local education sector, nearly 20% of them have plans to resign or retire early, while another 20% said they “tend to leave, but have no specific plans”. When asked when they expected to leave, 11.3% said they had or would leave during or at the end of the school year.
Of the 474 respondents, 70% cited “increasing political pressure” as the main reason for their departure, “dissatisfaction with the social situation in Hong Kong” and “dissatisfaction with the education policy in Hong Kong” as the main reasons for their departure. Dissatisfaction with Hong Kong’s education policy” were also 55% and nearly 40% respectively.
In addition, among the 704 respondents who chose or preferred to stay in the education sector in Hong Kong, nearly 60% of them chose “to stay with their families in Hong Kong” as the main reason, while a few 50% and 44% chose “the financial situation does not allow them to leave” and “to get used to the life in Hong Kong” respectively. I am used to the life in Hong Kong”. The survey also pointed out that 80% of the respondents were dissatisfied with the social and political environment, and nearly 80% were dissatisfied with the education system and policies.
According to the HKPTU, the situation is a cause for concern. Among them, the wastage rate of secondary and elementary school teachers is high, worrying that there will be a situation of manpower shortage in the middle level. The Association believes that the survey results reflect that the Education Bureau has made schools and teachers feel political pressure, and demanded that the Education Bureau immediately stop political interference.
The President of the Association, Mr. Fung Wai-wah, pointed out that individual pro-establishment legislators continue to attack the Liberal Studies, increasing the political pressure on the sector, and worried that if the education sector continues to lose experienced teachers to leave the local education sector, it will cause a succession gap, the impact on the quality of education, to the detriment of the education sector and students.
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