Turnover rate of Hong Kong’s native English-speaking teachers hits decade low after end of Covid curbs

Attrition rate for NETs fell to 9 per cent in primary schools and 7 per cent in secondary institutions, the lowest since data became available in 2013-14

Figures contrast with spike in 2021-22, which was largely attributed to impact of strict travel restrictions and quarantine requirements during pandemic

Reading Time:3 minutes

About 800 educators are employed under the official native English-speaking teacher scheme. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 1:08pm, 12 Apr 2024Updated: 9:41pm, 12 Apr 2024

The turnover rate of native English-speaking teachers (NETs) in Hong Kong schools fell to the lowest in a decade last year after the city scrapped all pandemic-related travel restrictions.

The rate in primary schools fell from 18 per cent in 2021-22 to 9 per cent in the last academic year, while the figure for secondary institutions dropped from 16 per cent to 7 per cent, according to data submitted by the Education Bureau to the Legislative Council on Thursday.

“The attrition rate has decreased significantly in the 2022-23 school year. Overall, there is no shortage of NETs at this stage,” the bureau said in a reply to the legislature.

The primary school rate was the same as in 2015-16. The figure for secondary schools was the lowest since 2013-14.

The turnover rate refers to the percentage of teachers who opted to leave the NET scheme for reasons other than retirement out of the total number of such educators who completed their contracts during the school year.

Currently, about 800 NETs are employed under the official scheme, which has been in place since 1998 and provides one position in every school.