London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Hong Kong teacher’s lifetime ban provokes pity from some parents

Hong Kong teacher’s lifetime ban provokes pity from some parents

Four of five parents of children at Ho Lap Primary School told the Post they felt the teacher’s deregistration was a step too far.

Parents at the Hong Kong primary school where a teacher was deregistered for giving students a distorted history of the first opium war have offered mixed reactions to the education authorities’ decision, with at least some believing the lifelong ban was “too harsh”.

Among the five parents at Ho Lap Primary School in Tsz Wan Shan who spoke to the Post on Friday, a day after officials revealed the delisting, four said the punishment was disproportionate or unfair to the teacher involved.

School principal Ng Shu-tung, meanwhile, said the incident was an individual case, adding the school had tightened internal supervision for teaching materials to prevent similar events from reoccurring.


Mrs Tse, parent of a Ho Lap Primary School student, offers her thoughts on the deregistration of a teacher accused of lacking logic and diligence in the classroom.


The educator was accused by authorities of relying on “wild guesses” in class and providing incorrect historical details to pupils, including telling a Primary Two class that the first opium war, fought between China and Britain from 1839 to 1842, was the result of “Britain’s attempt to ban opium smoking in China” - the opposite of the reality.

Officials also said he told pupils that paper had been invented to “prevent the extinction of animals”, as it had replaced the use of turtle shells and animal bones.

He was the second teacher to be delisted in two months, following the controversial deregistration of a primary schoolteacher in September over accusations he spread pro-independence messages in a lesson plan.

The Ho Lap Primary School panel head who oversaw the teaching materials used by the teacher was also handed a reprimand letter for what officials called an “obvious lapse in supervision”.

The deregistered teacher had been suspended from his teaching duties since late April after receiving widespread criticism over a video circulating online showing his descriptions of the opium war, including a commentary by Chinese state news agency Xinhua. The school’s sponsoring body on Thursday said he was no longer employed by the school.

A parent in her 30s, Carrie Lau said permanently stripping the teacher’s registration was “too harsh” a penalty.


The deregistered teacher had taught his class Britain had fought the first opium war to stamp out the opium trade in China, the opposite of the reality.


“I don’t think his acts amounted to lifelong deregistration. He had also already corrected the mistakes. It seems to me that [authorities] were only making him an example for other teachers so they will teach more carefully,” she said.

A father of a Primary One pupil, surnamed Yeung, also said he believed it was “unreasonable” for the government to delist the teacher.

“Even if he made a mistake, he should be given a chance to correct it,” he said, adding, “The incident does not affect my level of confidence in the school.”

But one parent, surnamed Kwok, said: “If his [the teacher’s] acts affected pupils, then he should be deregistered.”

The Professional Teachers’ Union, which has been assisting the deregistered teacher, said he was likely to file an appeal, and slammed the penalty as disproportionate.

The union also said the teacher – in his response to the Education Bureau during the investigation – argued his lesson about the invention of paper had referenced an educational video prepared by the bureau that offered a similar description.

In the bureau’s video, which was released in 2009, one of the narrators says: “If turtle shells were used every day for writing purposes, wouldn’t turtles be going extinct soon?”

The union questioned whether the bureau had considered the argument, saying it was unfair to the teacher when he planned the content based on the bureau’s video.

But in a reply on Thursday night defending the decision, an Education Bureau spokesman said the narrator was “merely saying the line in a humorous tone”, not stating it as a fact.

The spokesman also said the teacher’s argument reflected that he “not only lacked the basic knowledge and logic” regarding the subject, but the ability to understand teaching materials.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×