One in three teachers in Hong Kong and close to half of teaching assistants have considered giving up a career in education due to a lack of job security.
Typically on annual short-term contracts, these educators may have similar qualifications and responsibilities as a permanent teacher, but are paid much less and are not promised a switch to permanent teaching positions.
The resulting drop in morale affects their ability to nurture and teach students, according to the study by Professional Teachers’ Union (PTU).
At least 17% of educators in Hong Kong’s public primary and secondary schools are on annual contracts. PTU found that almost half are under 30 years old, while more than one in three hold a master’s degree or higher qualification.
However, about one in 10 contract educators took home less pay than their peers in permanent roles, reported the South China Morning Post.
“Almost half of the surveyed contract teachers transferred from one school to another within a two-year time frame,” said PTU’s vice president Ip Kin-yuen.
“Not only could they not take care of the students for long but they also did not have the opportunity to gain experience.”
Hong Kong’s public schools are governed by the Education Bureau’s set pupil-teacher ratio. Hiring contract teachers helps them boost manpower while abiding by the ratio.
Which is why when the ratio was raised last year, schools saw a boost in the hiring of teachers and about 1,700 contract teachers were able to switch to permanent positions.
Currently, schools follow the bureau’s ratio that for every 10 classes of student, primary schools would have 16 teachers, junior secondary schools would have 18 and senior secondary, 21 teachers.
The union has called for a further increase of the pupil-teacher ratio. This would allow young teachers to enhance their training and development for a longer period, thereby allowing more attention for students.
“To treat the teachers better is to treat the pupils well,” Ip said. “Apart from the government, the schools also need to treasure the young teachers and try to offer permanent teaching positions to them.”
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