Covid curbs or ‘personal’ reasons? 8-year high exit rate of native English teachers at Hong Kong secondary schools
- Figure revealed by Education Bureau after lawmaker Michael Tien asks if strict anti-epidemic measures are pushing native English teachers to leave
- Bureau says departures are based on ‘personal’ reasons, adds there is enough native English staff to maintain stable team in coming academic year
The turnover rate for native-speaking English teachers working in Hong Kong secondary schools over the last academic year has reached its highest level in eight years at 13 per cent, according to the Education Bureau.
The education authority said the turnover rates for native-speaking English teachers at primary and secondary schools were 11 per cent and 13 per cent respectively during the academic year 2020-21.
The 13 per cent attrition rate among native-speaking English educators working at secondary schools indicated a marked increase from the 9 per cent turnover level in 2019-20.
Among primary schools, the turnover rate for such teachers in 2019-20 was 16 per cent, indicating a double-digit loss over the past five years.
According to the bureau, the city’s primary and secondary schools employ about 852 educators under the Native-speaking English Teacher Scheme as of February 2022.
