Preschool teachers work a median of 55 hours per week in Hong Kong, 12 hours more than the figure for other workers, with nearly 60 per cent wanting to quit because of exhaustion and relatively low salaries, a survey has found.
The Education University of Hong Kong, which carried out the survey, called on the government to re-examine kindergarten teachers’ working conditions and welfare benefits, review a pay scale suggested by authorities to recognise the profession, and consider making it mandatory.
The university’s department of early childhood education, which surveyed 851 preschool educators, including principals, class teachers and teaching assistants, from January to June, found that 52 per cent of respondents worked 10 hours or more each day. Nearly half said they were required to work at least two hours after school.
“Some teachers gave us some feedback in the survey, saying that they were very tired physically and mentally ... they sometimes had mood swings after work because they did not get enough rest and worked very long hours. It is undesirable,” said Professor Eva Lau Yi-hung, the department’s acting head.
Three respondents – a class teacher, a senior teacher and a principal – said their daily schedule could be as long as 18 hours, including the time spent working after school hours.
“For them, except the hours for sleep, the rest is work,” said Chan Wai-ling, an assistant professor in the department.
She urged the government to turn its suggested pay scale into a mandatory one as part of efforts to improve preschool teachers’ career stability and working conditions.
Hong Kong has 11,235 preschool teachers. The turnover rate at the end of the 2023-24 academic year stood at 16 per cent – more than double the 7 per cent recorded at primary and secondary schools.
Lau said the health of preschool teachers was adversely affected by poor working conditions and long hours.
“Some preschool teachers don’t even have time to go to the washroom and some choose not to drink too much water. In the long run, it affects their health,” she said.
Some preschool teachers also experienced poor sleep, and the need to bend down to talk to the children caused them lower back pain, she added.
Lau said some graduates who joined the profession had asked her about vacancies for research assistants. Many wanted to quit as preschool teachers and turn to other jobs, even with lower pay.
But the survey found that 91 per cent of preschool teachers consistently strived to enhance their professional skills, despite their fatigue.
With the city’s declining birth rate, the survey also found that more than 80 per cent of respondents viewed their career prospects as limited or uncertain, with nearly 60 per cent considering quitting.
“If we lose the experienced and quality teachers, we will lack the talent when we need them, and it is not ideal for the development of the industry and for toddlers,” she said.
Lau said that preschool teachers’ salaries needed to be improved as their starting wage on the government’s suggested pay scale was as low as HK$25,060 – around HK$10,000 lower than fresh graduates working in primary and secondary schools.
“Reviewing their salary level is a recognition of their profession ... After all, preschool teachers also spend five years pursuing a degree in early childhood education,” she said.
She also suggested the government fully subsidise whole-day sessions at kindergartens, which parents generally preferred, instead of offering a partial subsidy.
“Most of the kindergartens that closed offered half-day sessions,” she said.
A spokesman for the Education Bureau said kindergartens receiving the subsidy were required to use a certain portion on teachers’ salaries, and unused funds above a set ceiling had to be returned to the government.
“There are various measures that encourage schools’ optimal use of the subsidy on teachers’ salaries,” he said.
He also added that the current pay arrangement for kindergartens could better maintain the diversity, flexibility and sustainability of the preschool sector than the adoption of a mandatory salary across the board. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
