By William Yiu

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A proposal by the Hong Kong government to require teachers to obtain a practising certificate has sparked concern in the education sector, with some questioning whether the measure will place additional pressure on frontline educators and drive talent away.
The contentious proposal was announced in a supplementary booklet to the policy address and was not read out by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu during his annual speech on Wednesday.
“[The Education Bureau will] enhance the teacher registration mechanism and explore amending the Education Ordinance to introduce the practising certificate and regular renewal requirements,” the booklet said.
The certificate would “ensure that all schoolteachers in Hong Kong are fit and proper persons [for the job], thus upholding the professionalism of the teaching force”.
A government source said the Education Bureau would submit the amendment to the legislature next year and implement it after it is passed by lawmakers.
The new measure would mean that educators in Hong Kong must not only attain a postgraduate diploma to become a formally registered teacher, but also obtain a practising certificate from the bureau, with a validity period that must be renewed regularly in line with their professional development.
The booklet did not go into the details of the certificate, including the application process, candidates’ requirements and renewal procedures.
The government source said the measure was conceived to ensure teachers’ continuous professional development.
“We have received some feedback that the registration of teachers should not be valid on a lifetime basis,” the source said.
Registered educators who had not practised as teachers for some time or did not develop professionally by equipping themselves with the latest pedagogical knowledge might not be able to obtain the practising certificates to continue in their roles, the source suggested.
There are currently around 160,000 registered teachers in Hong Kong, 70,000 of whom are practising.
On Thursday, Lee said in the legislature that authorities would hold a consultation on the issue.
“Like other professions, there are also some requirements for registration and practice,” he said, adding the government would fully consider different scenarios.
He cited the example of a registered teacher who might not take up full-time teaching duties as they may be engaged in other pursuits, such as conducting research at universities.

The government source said the proposed new measure would cover all educators in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools.
Lawmaker Chu Kwok-kueng said the introduction of a practising certificate for teachers had raised concerns within the education sector, with some worried that the new system would place greater pressure on frontline teachers and drive talented professionals away.
“The mechanism must also be clear, practical and widely accepted by the education sector to safeguard and enhance the teaching profession,” he said.
Chu added that the government should state if teachers who were formally qualified but not practising would be excluded from the proposed certification system, and explain how they could rejoin the profession if they wanted to.