CEO of Hong Kong’s English Schools Foundation says complaints against teachers will be treated ‘extremely seriously’
- Pupil allegations of racism and sexism at King George V School will be handled at the highest level, Belinda Greer says
- A Year 13 student said teachers had ridiculed the names of Asian pupils and conducted uniform checks that made some feel uncomfortable
Complaints accusing teachers of racist and sexist behaviour on a campus of Hong Kong’s biggest international school group will be treated extremely seriously and handled at the highest level, its CEO has promised.
English Schools Foundation (ESF) chief executive Belinda Greer described the allegations from King George V School (KGV) students as “deeply troubling” and pledged to develop plans to strengthen diversity and equality.
The Post earlier reported a Year 13 pupil had accused teachers in an open letter of ridiculing the names of Asian students and making girls feel uncomfortable through uniform checks. As of Wednesday, more than 1,400 signatures had been collected via an online petition demanding school management address the matter and introduce reforms.
Several students and a former teacher have described experiencing racist incidents at the school. But one student who said he opposed the petition described the accusations as an attempt to attack the school’s reputation.
In a letter addressed to parents, Greer vowed to strongly pursue the matter. “I wanted to give you my assurance that this is being treated extremely seriously – and at the highest possible level,” she said. “While we pride ourselves on the values we hold as an organisation and place a huge emphasis on developing the character of the young people in our schools, we must listen when we hear the experiences that have been shared with us by some of our students in the past few days.
