Hong Kong authorities have imposed on foreign English teachers working in its public schools a declaration of allegiance to the city, officials told Agence France-Presse on Saturday, with growing concerns about the region's ability to retain teaching staff members in the midst of tightening restrictions

.فرضت سلطات هونغ كونغ، على مدرسي اللغة الإنجليزية الأجانب العاملين في مدارسها الرسمية إعلان الولاء للمدينة، وفق ما أفاد مسؤولون 

وكالة "فرانس برس" السبت، مع تزايد المخاوف إزاء قدرة المنطقة على استبقاء أفراد الطواقم التعليمية في خضم تشديد القيود.

The Hong Kong Bureau of Education announced that native English teachers and counselors working in government-run schools must sign a declaration by June 21 to continue working for the next academic year.

 Since 2020, Hong Kong has imposed requirements related to declaring loyalty in an increasing number of jobs, especially in the public sector, as part of meeting China's demands in this regard.

 These teachers will have to pledge allegiance to Hong Kong, respect the Basic Law, the city's constitutional provision, and be accountable to the government.

 "Negligence, refusal or failure" to sign the declaration would lead to termination of the contract, according to the authorities.

 These teachers are usually employed on renewable two-year contracts, with monthly salaries starting at around HK$32,000 ($4,100) and going up to HK$74,000 ($9,400).

 Hong began implementing the program to use these teachers in 1997 to improve the language level of students, and over time this program has become a standard feature in primary and secondary education.

 In addition to the monthly salaries that are higher than the general average, these teachers benefit from government grants and incentives to ensure their retention, noting that this has become an aggravating problem in recent years.

 In April, the government reported that 13 percent of those teachers in secondary educational institutions left the region in the 2020/2021 academic year, the highest number in five years.