Cheung Yui-fai, executive committee member of the Professional Teachers’ Union (PTU) having taught Liberal Studies for 30 years, declared his decision to retire early the other day. A source from the education sector pointed out that apart from more students quitting school to emigrate with their parents, actually more teachers have decided to quit or retire early, among whom some are going to pull up their roots for their families and offspring, while even more are going to do so for fear of transgressing the “redlines” by accident, then taken to court, or even probably having their MPF confiscated. “Quite a number of teachers have planned to retire early at the end of this year, and if the government requires them to take an oath later on, even more of them will resign,” noted the source.

He also said at the schools every teacher he knows is working at, “from the elite to average ones, there are teachers quitting, and one of them told me that around more than ten of his colleagues have resigned since early this year”.

He said those who have decided to leave are mostly senior teachers or even subject panel chairpersons, yet they are not confined to the yellow-ribbon. “I know a few having quit to leave the city for good are extraordinarily blue. The fact is that their children are turning 18, so not eligible for emigrating to the UK via “BNO 5+1” with their parents soon. With the pressure from their families, they couldn’t but decide to leave for their kids.”

Another teacher said that for a large number of senior teachers at their 50s who grew up in the 80s and 90s last century, “the method of teaching they learned and taught for a long time is a far cry from the one promoted by the Education Bureau, so it is hardly possible for them to go on with it”. Besides, as what Tin Fong-chak, Liberal Studies teacher and vice-president of the PTU, said, what we have found in the new subjects are not “redlines”, but a “red sea”. “If they still follow their old way, it’s hard to say when they will transgress the ‘redlines’ unwittingly. Getting fired is not a big deal, but getting indicted for breaching the national security law is not a trivial matter, as their MPF will probably be confiscated”. So, he anticipated even more senior teachers are going to retire early in the days to come. “Please don’t tell me the quality of education will not be affected with so many senior teachers quitting.”

This article is translated from Chinese by Apple Daily.

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