Some four in 10 Hong Kong teachers say they should be able to express opinions freely, but only a fifth of principals agree, survey finds
- New poll conducted by city’s largest association of secondary school heads also found the vast majority of parents had confidence in teachers’ professionalism
- The poll comes after a glut of complaints against educators, many of them politically tinged
More than four in 10 Hong Kong secondary schoolteachers believe they should be able to express their opinions freely, but only one-fifth of principals feel the same, according to a new survey.
The poll also found that most educators and parents believed teachers were entitled to freely participate in what the survey’s authors described as “social events”, although most agreed they had a responsibility to discourage students from taking part in illegal activities.
The findings were part of a report from the Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools on teachers’ professional status and social recognition published on Tuesday. It found that, overall, more than 80 per cent of principals and 70 per cent of parents still had confidence in teachers’ professional competence in terms of student development.
In one question asking parents to rate different jobs in terms of perceived professionalism, secondary schoolteachers scored a 4.03 out of 5, just behind business consultants, and ahead of fashion designers. Doctors topped the ranking with a score of 4.85, followed by scientists, and lawyers and judges.
The survey was conducted on the association’s behalf by the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute (HKPRI), which polled more than 100 principals, 400 teachers and 2,000 parents between January and March last year.
Between June 2019 and December of last year, 269 protest-related complaints alleging teacher misconduct were filed. So far, 154 teachers have been punished, including three who were deregistered for life.
