In early October 2020, a primary school teacher in Hong Kong was dismissed for allegedly asking pupils questions about freedom of speech and independence from China. In statement, the Education Bureau claimed the unnamed teacher had violated the territory’s de facto constitution, the Basic Law, by disseminating a message about independence. The teacher’s registration has also been removed by the bureau.
The teacher was reportedly sacked for showing students a video featuring a pro-independence activist and then asking the class “what is freedom of speech?” and “according to the video, what is the reason for advocating Hong Kong independence?”
In a Facebook post, the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union called the decision to remove the teacher from their post as “totally unacceptable” and said the written warning sent to the school where the teacher taught constituted a “despicable act” of intimidation. The union added that it would help the teacher with their appeal.
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, characterised the incident as a “very serious matter” if teachers took aim at China and the Hong Kong government.
The Education Bureau has warned teachers that it would be looking out for other “black sheep”, adding that it had received 247 allegations of professional misconduct aimed at teachers between July 2019 and August 2020.
