71 Hong Kong teachers struck off for misconduct, such as romantic liaisons with pupils

Seventy-one Hong Kong teachers were deregistered last year due to professional misconduct, including romantic liaisons with students, the highest number on record and a 51 per cent increase from 2023.

The number of teachers who received reprimands, written warnings and advice also jumped by 192 per cent, 116 per cent and 62 per cent, respectively. The Education Bureau attributed the surge to the government’s regular checks of whether educators had a criminal record every three years.

The bureau listed the figures in a paper submitted to the Legislative Council on Tuesday, as the panel on education is set to discuss upholding teachers’ professional conduct next week.

The bureau said it had “seriously punished the black sheep” and firmly adopted “zero tolerance” towards teachers failing to meet ethical and moral standards.

The number of deregistered teachers rose to 71 in 2024, up from 47 in 2023 and 21 in 2022, marking the highest figure recorded since data collection began, according to the document.

The misconduct involved having inappropriate relationships and making improper contact with students. Theft, child abuse and deception were also included.

“Although most of the teachers concerned have already left the profession, we firmly follow up on cases involving serious unlawful acts or professional misconduct to prevent such people from teaching in schools again to safeguard the well-being of students,” the bureau said.