The Hong Kong Education Bureau said Saturday that native English speaking teachers (NETs) and counselors working in public schools must sign a statement by June 21 to continue working. Since 2020, Hong Kong has applied swearing-in requirements to a growing number of jobs, mainly in the public sector, as a way to meet the Chinese government’s fiduciary requirements. NETs must declare that they will abide by Hong Kong and abide by the Basic Law – the city’s constitutional text – and that they will be accountable to the government. “Negligence, refusal or failure” to sign the statement would lead to the termination of the contract, authorities said. The new declaration “will safeguard and further promote the core values that should be upheld by all civil servants” and ensure effective governance, a government spokesman said. NETs are usually hired on renewable two-year contracts, with monthly salaries starting at around HK $ 32,000 (4. $ 4,100 / 3. 3,300) and can go up to HK $ 74,000. Hong Kong introduced the NET program in 1997 to improve students’ language skills and gradually made NET a standard feature in primary and secondary schools. In addition to over-the-counter wages, NETs receive government benefits and other incentives to ensure retention, which has been a growing problem in recent years. In April, the government reported that 13% of NETs in secondary schools dropped out of the 2020-2021 school year, the highest rate in five years. Officials, however, said NET retention and wear rates were “largely stable.” The city’s head educator, Kevin Yeung, has denied that growing NET numbers have left because of Hong Kong’s strict strategy for zero Covid. “There is no real reason to attribute the departure of NETs or their decision to come or not to teach in Hong Kong the mandatory quarantine measure,” he told lawmakers in April. Some teachers have expressed fears about the city’s political climate, as Beijing portrays Hong Kong with its authoritarian image. The credit requirement was first imposed on civil servants in October 2020 and then extended to government staff hired seven months later. “National security education” has become a priority in schools and some teachers have said they are now avoiding sensitive issues such as the 1989 repression of Tiananmen.
