Teachers targeted over anonymous complaints: PTU

Professional Teachers' Union president Fung Wai-wah (left) says actions are taken even on the basis of screen capped messages sent anonymously. Photo: RTHK

A major teachers' union on Thursday accused the government of creating "white terror" by taking 'premature' action over alleged misconduct by teachers, noting that some of the complaints consisted of anonymously-sent screen caps of messages.



The president of the Professional Teachers' Union (PTU), Fung Wai-wah, said officials had censured teachers based on these complaints, even though the Education Bureau itself advises schools not to deal with anonymous complaints.



In some cases, some of the teachers never had a chance to explain themselves, the union said.



The PTU said around 20 teachers have asked it for help since August, with some of them targeted for posting their personal feelings about recent actions by police.



The union said none of the complaints had to do with their teaching duties, but the government has nonetheless given them warnings, or threatened to deregister them.



Fung said this situation is unusual, as it normally takes a year or two for investigations to be completed in such cases.



The union's vice president, education sector lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen, said the punishments are disproportionate and unfair to teachers, arguing that they have been made scapegoats in some kind of "white terror".



"The Basic Law guarantees everyone freedom of speech, and the teachers involved were only expressing their personal views in a private setting," Ip said.



He said a better way for the government to handle the complaints would be to send them to the Council on Professional Conduct in Education.