Panel on education to examine the specific aspects of the new certification to guarantee ‘fit and proper’ criteria
Educational officials in Hong Kong have announced that teachers who do not meet the necessary professional development hours will not be granted practice certificates, as they prepare to hold a meeting next week to address the specifics of the new initiative.
The education secretary, Christine Choi Yuk-lin, stated that the proposal would also detail the conditions for returning to the profession for teachers who had left the field for a certain period.
The new certificate was presented as a fresh initiative in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy speech in September. According to the plan, educators will need to acquire this certification from the Education Bureau—valid for a specific duration and needing periodic renewal—alongside their current teacher registration.
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Choi mentioned to the Legislative Council’s education committee on Tuesday that the government plans to review the suggested certification during a meeting set for February 6.
The panel will also discuss the Code of Practice for Private Schools, after reports surfaced that some local institutions had collaborated with mainland Chinese organizations to provide educational programs. The government then canceled or put on hold the registrations of at least two schools.
Choi mentioned that the implementation of the certificate, which needs to be renewed regularly, was intended to ensure that all educators were “suitable and appropriate,” thus protecting the quality of teaching.
“Our database indicates that among 160,000 registered teachers, approximately 70,000 to 80,000 are actively teaching. Some individuals possess teaching credentials but have decided not to work in the field for different reasons,” she stated.
We will also explore ways to handle the matter of teachers returning to the sector next week.
Last September, Choi mentioned that officials would evaluate various aspects before determining if the certificate should be issued, such as whether the applicants reside in Hong Kong.
Deputy Secretary of the Education Bureau, Verena Lau Wing-yin, mentioned that the professional growth requirement entails finishing a minimum of 150 hours of training within three years, with 30 hours dedicated to essential training. She pointed out that the majority of teachers had already fulfilled this criterion.
She mentioned that the 150-hour limit would act as a starting point for deciding the necessary core training.
As stated on the bureau’s official website, the fundamental training includes teachers’ professional roles, principles, and behavior, along with local, national, and global educational topics.
“If educators are unable to meet the teacher training requirement, they will temporarily be ineligible for the practicing certificate,” Lau stated.
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This piece was first published in the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), a top news outlet covering China and Asia.
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