According to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, John Lee Ka-chiu, there is no need for teachers who don’t want to devote themselves to national education.
During a televised interview on Saturday, the newly elected mayor of the city was questioned about his plans to address the growing problem of teachers leaving their jobs because they disagree with the curriculum that should be followed in the classroom. “If they don’t match our requirements, I don’t want their teaching to deviate from our mainstream ideology,” Lee said, vowing to provide “multi-faceted” national education in schools.
He said that the focus of his comments was on a call made by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a recent visit to Hong Kong to promote Chinese culture and the attitude of “loving the country, loving Hong Kong.” This is a slogan that is often repeated by authorities and others in favor of maintaining the status quo in Hong Kong.
Lee, on the other hand, added: “I am also confident that mainstream teachers are very professional and very serious about pushing forward education on this aspect.”
He argued that pupils should learn about the “substance, goal, and target” of national education by incorporating it into their daily life.
Lee pointed out that lower-grade pupils were already required to study Chinese history, while instructors would be given appropriate training and students would be able to participate in exchange visits to the country.
He blamed the 2019 anti-government rallies, which attracted a large number of young people, on insufficient national education, saying that “we have to right the wrong.”
According to a study issued by the Hong Kong Association of Secondary School Heads at the end of May, there was evidence of a “ferocious departure tide.” According to the organization, each school would lose an average of 7.1 instructors in 2020-21, compared to 3.9 teachers in 2019-20 and 4.2 teachers in 2018-19.
