An elementary school teacher in Hong Kong has been disqualified by the Hong Kong Education Bureau for serious professional misconduct for allegedly spreading the message of “Hong Kong independence” in his teaching materials. This is the first case of a teacher being disqualified for professional misconduct since the controversy over the revised draft anti-fugitive offenders ordinance in Hong Kong. The case is the first since the controversy over the proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, which would disqualify teachers for professional misconduct.
The Education Bureau said on Monday that a teacher at the Xuandao Elementary School in Kowloon Tong had systematically disseminated “Hong Kong independence” messages in his teaching materials, many of which were distorted and biased, causing serious harm to students.
It is the first time a teacher has been disqualified for professional misconduct and it is a very serious case, Mrs. Lam said Tuesday before attending the Executive Council meeting. She said the government is duty-bound to provide resources to the education sector, and will not allow Hong Kong’s independence and lawlessness to infiltrate schools, and will protect immature students from being poisoned. She also stressed that she would “continue to uncover the black sheep in the education sector.
She said she believes there are very few teachers who have disrupted the peace in the education sector and brought politics into schools, and she doesn’t want to see a single example of non-compliance overturn a boatload of people.
Hong Kong education legislator Yip Kin-yuen criticized the Education Bureau’s charge against the teacher as a fabrication on a Hong Kong commercial radio program Tuesday. He said that the theme of the textbook was freedom of speech, and Hong Kong independence was just an entry point for discussion, and the teacher did not elaborately preach it to the students, nor did he continue to introduce Hong Kong independence. In addition, he said, the Education Bureau has visited the school to learn more about the situation, according to school records, the students told the Education Bureau that the subject matter of the classroom was freedom of speech, and did not endorse Hong Kong independence. The Hong Kong Education Association will help the teacher appeal the case, Yeh said.
The commercial radio station reported that some parents had seen the worksheets in question and thought they were not a big problem, but just wanted to develop the thinking skills of fifth-graders, while others were surprised by the EDB’s decision but thought it was in line with the way the Hong Kong government handled the situation.
He believes that the education sector should be vigilant, teachers should have professional ethics, teaching should comply with the constitutional and legal status of Hong Kong under the Basic Law, and schools also have the responsibility to guard the gate.
Since the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law took effect on the evening of June 30, freedom of expression in Hong Kong has been under immediate attack. The Hong Kong Public Library was quick to remove political books deemed sensitive; books on social movements were repeatedly rejected because of their sensitive content; and textbooks describing current social conditions were criticized by pro-China media as “advocating violence.
According to the Civil Rights Observer’s September 28 report on the two-month implementation of the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law, police have arrested at least 21 people on national security charges during this period, and the mass arrests made in a short period of time have had a chilling effect on Hong Kong’s civil society, further narrowing the space for freedom of expression and assembly.
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