Security tests for teachers expanded

Teachers and principals newly hired or changing schools in direct-subsidy-scheme schools and kindergartens in the next academic year must pass the Basic Law and National Security Law Test, the Education Bureau announced yesterday.

The written test will be in English and Chinese, covering the Basic Law and the National Security Law. It will have 20 multiple-choice questions, with 10 being the passing mark.

All newly employed teachers in public-sector schools have been required to pass the Basic Law test from this school year.

As announced in the policy address, the Basic Law test requirement will be extended to cover all direct-subsidy-scheme schools and kindergartens joining the kindergarten education scheme starting from the 2023/24 school year, a spokesman of the Education Bureau said.

"Apart from regular teachers, newly appointed teachers remunerated with cash grant are also required to obtain a pass in the test. The requirement applies to all ranks of the teacher grade including principals," he said.

Teachers who have passed in any Basic Law test and plan to join or change schools in the next school year are required to take the Basic Law and National Security Law test in order to get the teaching job, as the bureau said the content of the two tests is different.

But those who have passed the Basic Law and National Security Law test issued by the Civil Service Bureau are not required to take the test organized by the EDB again.

Daily-rated supply teachers, teachers employed under the native-speaking English Teacher Scheme and those mainly teaching a non-local curriculum, are not required to take the test.

The first round of the test is scheduled on December 3, for which people have to submit an application from 9am tomorrow to 5pm on November 7 through the online application system on the Education Bureau's website.

Five rounds of tests are being arranged.