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William Yiu

Hong Kong may consider whether teachers are living in the city before issuing proposed practising certificates, the education minister has said, with the measure potentially preventing educators who moved away in recent years from working locally in the future.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin also said on Friday that teachers who failed to declare any criminal record would be banned from renewing their certificates to safeguard the interests of students and the image of the profession.
The introduction of the proposed certificate was a new requirement floated in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy address last week.
The Education Bureau said it would explore amending the Education Ordinance to introduce the certificate and regular renewal requirements to ensure that all teachers in Hong Kong were fit for the job.
In the future, teachers will have to secure practising certificates from the bureau, with a validity that requires regular renewal in line with their professional development and whether they are equipped with updated knowledge.
Choi said authorities would consider a raft of factors before deciding whether to grant the certificate to the applicant.
“Besides the requirement of professional continuing education, [we will also consider] whether the teachers reside in Hong Kong. We will take reference to other professions to finalise the details,” she said.
Choi said authorities would seek legal advice to determine the time frame for the renewal of the certificates.

The bureau earlier said it would submit the amendment to the legislature next year and implement it following approval from lawmakers.
More than 16,000 teachers in kindergartens, primary, secondary and special schools have either retired or resigned over three academic years.
The turnover rate among teachers in primary and secondary sections reached a record high before the start of the 2022-23 academic year, double the rate when there was no such scheme.
The Post reported last October that nearly 1,900 teachers from Hong Kong had applied to work in England, with about 800 candidates from the city already approved at the time.
Choi said the new initiative involved studying other regions that had mechanisms to suspend teachers from practising their profession.
Hong Kong currently only had a mechanism to disqualify teachers for life but not one that allowed authorities to suspend them, she said.
She also said the practising certificates could bar teachers who left the profession for a long time from rejoining the industry, as they might lack the latest professional knowledge.
Choi said earlier there were 160,000 registered teachers in the city, with 70,000 practising at present.
Separately, Choi revealed that more than 30 schools suspended classes for one more day on Thursday, as their campuses were affected by Super Typhoon Ragasa, with two schools saying they would need a day off on Friday as well.
Kindergartens and primary and secondary school classes were suspended on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the storm approached and later wreaked havoc in the city.
More than 10 schools adopted online classes on Thursday, she added.


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Hong Kong could link proposed teacher certificate to living in city: minister

The Education Bureau will explore amending the Education Ordinance to introduce the teacher practising certificate and regular renewal requirements. Photo: Getty Images

Christine Choi has said authorities will consider a raft of factors before deciding whether to grant the certificate to the applicant. Photo: Edmond So

Hong Kong officials defend need for teacher practising certificates

Hong Kong has 160,000 registered teachers, with 70,000 practising at present, according to the education minister. Photo: Getty Images 

Secretary for Education Christine Choi (left) and Chief Secretary Eric Chan on Friday further explain key initiatives in the city leader’s policy address. Photo: May Tse

Proposed practising certificate for teachers sparks concern among Hong Kong educators

The Education Bureau has proposed tightening teacher registration by introducing a new practising certificate. Photo: Getty Images

The Education Bureau’s proposal is raised in a supplementary booklet to the policy address but was not read out by Chief Executive John Lee during his annual speech on Wednesday. Photo: May Tse

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Proposed certificate is new requirement floated in Chief Executive John Lee’s policy address last week


Proposed certificate is new requirement floated in Chief Executive John Lee’s policy address last week.


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Hong Kong could link proposed teacher certificate to living in city: minister

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Proposed certificate is new requirement floated in Chief Executive John Lee’s policy address last week

Proposed certificate is new requirement floated in Chief Executive John Lee’s policy address last week