Education Sector Proposes Regulating Tutor Conduct on Par with Regular Teachers
On.cc · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Education sector legislator Tang Fei has called for regulating the conduct of private tutors on par with regular civil-service teachers, proposing a licensing system modeled after the existing teacher registration framework. This comes after a series of incidents involving tutors physically assaulting students and publicly shaming them online, which have raised concerns about the lack of oversight in Hong Kong's tutoring industry.
Key Points
- Education sector legislator Tang Fei (鄧飛) has proposed implementing conduct standards for tutors equivalent to those for regular civil-service teachers
- Some tutoring firms have been using vulgar language and mocking content in social media marketing to attract students
- Recent incidents have included tutors slapping students and "doxxing" students online by publicly shaming them
- Currently, tutors conducting extracurricular activities and private tutoring have no mandatory qualifications such as education diplomas
- Tang has suggested a licensing system similar to teacher registration as a concrete form of market regulation
- Tutoring firms frequently require students to film promotional videos without parental consent, which Tang considers inappropriate
Why It Matters
The tutoring industry serves a significant portion of Hong Kong's student population, yet it remains largely unregulated compared to formal schools. Implementing proper conduct standards and a licensing framework would establish accountability for a sector that directly interacts with minors, addressing recent safety concerns while raising professional standards across the market. The proposed measures would require amendments to the Education Ordinance and coordination among stakeholders to determine enforcement responsibilities.
The tutoring industry serves a significant portion of Hong Kong's student population, yet it remains largely unregulated compared to formal schools. Implementing proper conduct standards and a licensing framework would establish accountability for a sector that directly interacts with minors, addressing recent safety concerns while raising professional standards across the market. The proposed measures would require amendments to the Education Ordinance and coordination among stakeholders to determine enforcement responsibilities.