Foreign teachers in Hong Kong forced to take allegiance oath or risk losing job
Arule that is usually applied to Hong Kong government officers has been extended to foreigners teaching the English language at government schools where they have been asked to swear an oath of allegiance to the city.
According to AFP news agency, Hong Kong’s Education Bureau has issued an order mandating Native-speaking English Teachers (NETs) and advisors working in government-run schools to sign the declaration by June 21 in order to continue working in the upcoming academic year.
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The order states that NETs must declare they will bear allegiance to Hong Kong and uphold the Basic Law – the city’s constitutional text – as well as be responsible to the government.
“Neglect, refusal or failure” to sign the declaration would lead to contract termination, authorities said.
The new declaration would “further safeguard and promote the core values that should be upheld by all government employees” and ensure effective governance, a government spokesperson told AFP.
The oath-taking was first introduced in 2020 at government offices in Hong Kong following the gradual rollout of the national security law as a way to fulfil Chinese government demands of loyalty.
A NET teacher told Hong Kong Free Press newspaper that they are “unhappy” with the move as it seeks to treat the foreign teachers “as foreign agents who might instil dangerous ideas into the mind of Hong Kong youngsters.”
NETs are hired on renewable two-year contracts, with monthly salaries starting at around HK$32,000 (US$4,100/£3,300) and can go as high as HK$74,000.
Hong Kong introduced the NET program in 1997 to improve students’ language skills and has gradually made NETs a standard feature in primary and secondary schools.
Apart from market-beating salaries, NETs receive government allowances and other incentives to ensure retention, which has been a growing problem in recent years.
(With inputs from agencies)
