Hong Kong school starts academic year without replacing head fired for swearing

A Hong Kong secondary school has begun the new academic year without a principal while authorities vet a replacement for the former head, who was fired for swearing at security guards during a Singapore study trip.

Former lawmaker Edmund Wong Chun-sek, who is also a manager of San Wui Commercial Society Secondary School, said on Tuesday that the Education Bureau was currently conducting background checks on the candidate.

The school, located in Tuen Mun, was under the temporary leadership of its deputy head for now, he added.

“We have completed the recruitment procedures and decided on one candidate, but the Education Bureau is still vetting the appointment,” Wong said. “Of course, the sooner we welcome the new principal, the better.”

Wong said the wider process could take time since the bureau had taken three months to vet the previous incumbent.

But he stressed that the school would operate as normal, adding that teachers and the institution’s governance team were on the same page.

In response to the South China Morning Post’s inquiry, the bureau said on Tuesday that it had reminded the school to strictly follow the relevant procedures in its application and take appropriate administrative measures to ensure that its operations were not disrupted and that students’ wellbeing was safeguarded.