At least four teachers at the English Schools Foundation (ESF), Hong Kong’s biggest international school group, were sacked last year after they travelled overseas without telling management and conducted online classes from abroad.

Two sources told the Post the teachers at two ESF schools, Renaissance College and Discovery College, were sacked between April and June when they were found to have left Hong Kong from between a few days to nine weeks after the term began.

They left for family reasons and had gone to places such as mainland China and Australia, one of the sources said.

With the citywide suspension of face-to-face classes because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the teachers were able to conduct lessons online without telling management that they were in fact overseas.

They had their services terminated after they were found out.

The sources said the teachers felt their dismissal was disproportionate as they worked during the period and claimed to have had no prior warning of the serious consequences. Although the teachers were sacked last year, the sources said they now questioned whether ESF was applying double standards, as it had not taken any harsh action against a number of other staff, including chief executive Belinda Greer, who was stranded overseas after travelling to Britain last month.

The school group’s management did not comment on the teachers who were dismissed, but told the Post the employees “who were no longer with ESF” had left under entirely different circumstances. “ESF does not have a policy of terminating [the services of] staff who, as a result of unforeseen events, find themselves stranded overseas,” a spokeswoman said.

She did not elaborate on whether Greer and the teachers stranded overseas had given any advance notice of their travel. Nor did she say how many were still stuck abroad, or if any had returned.

Commenting on the sackings, Ip Kin-yuen, vice-president of the 100,000-strong Professional Teachers’ Union and a former education sector lawmaker, said a key issue was whether the four teachers told the management before leaving Hong Kong.

“A teacher’s role might not be confined only to conducting lessons online. In this case, although the teachers performed their duties remotely, they still failed to notify their schools beforehand,” he said.

The Hong Kong government suspended face-to-face lessons from early February last year because of Covid-19, with virtual lessons at all schools until classes resumed in phases from late May.

One of the sources said ESF reminded staff last January to remain in Hong Kong and notify the management if they were unable to do so.

But the source also insisted the four left for “strong personal reasons” that involved pregnancy or young children.

The source argued that dismissal was a serious disciplinary action that was justified only if the conduct had an impact on the individuals’ discharge of their duties, whereas the teachers had continued to do their jobs.

After the four were sacked, the source said ESF reminded all staff by email in June that while they were free to travel during term breaks, “staff who fail to return to Hong Kong run the risk of breach of contract and/or job abandonment that can have serious professional repercussions”.

Last month, the Education Bureau reminded teachers to refrain from travelling during the Christmas holiday. Then, on December 22, Hong Kong banned all flights from Britain to prevent the import of a more transmissible strain of Covid-19.

ESF, which runs 22 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, confirmed early this month that the ban resulted in “a small number of staff” including CEO Greer being stranded in Britain when the new term began on January 4.

They were among hundreds of Hong Kong residents stuck in Britain under the travel ban. Many have yet to find their way back, given quarantine requirements.

The ESF spokeswoman said teachers had to be in Hong Kong to support student learning and be ready to teach face-to-face classes as required.

She said its schools had supported some teachers’ requests to travel for compassionate reasons.

“Since the start of the Covid-19 situation in February 2020, ESF has worked with staff to discuss any plans to travel overseas,” she said. “[ESF] wants its staff to be able to attend crucial life events overseas and is responsive to requests for special consideration.

“In each case, staff members have been transparent and forthcoming about their personal reasons for wanting to travel.”

Without commenting on why some staff including Greer had ignored government advice against travelling last month, the spokeswoman said ESF was still working closely with them and helping them to return to Hong Kong “as soon as possible”.