There is a cause for concern when Hong Kong teachers and schools continue to make news for the wrong reasons. The two recent headlines – one about a surge in the disqualification of teachers and another on an ongoing exodus from the profession – may involve different circumstances. But the news does not bode well for confidence in the city’s education sector.

According to Education Bureau statistics, authorities took action against 171 teachers in 2023 for professional misconduct, up from 104 in 2022 and 151 in 2021. Most of the 47 deregistration cases last year came after teachers were convicted of various unlawful activities. Six were struck off for professional misconduct, including three cases of teacher-student relations. Two teachers watched or showed a porn video carelessly during classes, and another case involved inappropriate posts on social media by a teacher.

The number of disqualifications has increased from seven in 2021 to 21 in 2022. As many as 69 written warnings were issued last year, a jump from 43 a year earlier. The surge was attributed to the implementation of new measures, including criminal record checks on registered and permitted teachers every three years. Given the influence of teachers on students, and the changing social environment and requirements on the education sector, teachers should be more mindful of their actions and remarks.

Drop in Hong Kong teachers quitting, HK$10.1 billion withdrawn from provident funds

Similar to the emigration wave fuelled by political and social turbulence in recent years, the education sector has been hit with a serious brain drain. According to official data, a total of 3,334 teachers withdrew their retirement funds in 2022-23 as a result of retirement, resignation or other reasons. While the figure is a slight drop on the 3,551 the previous year, the accumulated impact on manpower continues to be felt across schools at different levels.