Opinion | Racism allegations from teachers at Hong Kong’s international schools pose many questions
- Ethnic minority teachers at Hong Kong’s ESF and other international schools say they face promotion barriers and many other forms of discrimination
- The Education Bureau will not provide a breakdown of the ethnicity of teachers at individual schools without an institution’s consent
How many teachers and staff of South and Southeast Asian origin hold senior management positions in English Schools Foundation (ESF) institutions in Hong Kong, given the revenue generated from students of the same ethnicities studying in its 22 schools?
How many Indians are principals or deputy heads in other international schools in the city?
How do these statistics compare with teachers of other nationalities employed in international schools?
More importantly, why aren’t these facts and figures available to the community?
Teachers suggest that discrimination from management towards staff of ethnic minorities has precluded them from rising above middle management positions. They claim that less qualified white teaching staff with less experience are often promoted to positions of responsibility, which carry added pay; and that recruitment and other decisions such as promotion or training are seldom made on the basis of consistent selection criteria.
