TNAG-0798-FCO40-1002-Dispute-over-closure-of-Precious-Blood-Golden-Jubilee-Second-1978 — Page 145

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

London SW1A 2AH

10

From The Minister of State

The Rt Hon The Lord Goronwy-Roberts

Kear Janet,

HKK 280/16

280/60

20 June 1978

RECEIVED IN REGISTKY MO. 51 2 1 JUN 1973

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

Wo

PA

REGISTRY

Action Ten

CLE

David Owen has asked me to reply to your letter of

3 June enclosing one from Mr Anthony Ha of the Hong Kong Education Action Group about the closure of the Precious Blood Golden Jubilee School.

I have received from the Hong Kong Government a

detailed account of the events leading up to the closure and am satisfied that they acted in the best interests of the children involved. Action by a small group of militant teachers who refused to accept the authority of the Principal had made it impossible for the school to continue to function normally. The Director of Education therefore decided to close the school to permit a thorough reorganization.

A new school on the same premises will open in September; in the meantime places at other schools have been made available for all the pupils of the Precious Blood School.

The reason for the teachers' militancy was a claim that they were victimized when disciplinary action was taken against them for participating in a sit-in by staff and pupils at the school in June 1977. The sit-in was in protest at new regulations imposing tighter discipline in the school. The action against

the teachers. took the form of letters from the Director of Education to all the teachers involved in the sit-in, warning them that any repetition of this action could lead him to cancel their registration as teachers. (Under a provision of the Hong Kong Education Ordinance the Director of Education is empowered to cancel the registration of teachers whose behaviour is prejudicial to the maintenance of good order and discipline in the schools where they teach.)

In his letter Mr Ha argued that the teachers involved were victimized after revealing that the school's former Principal has misappropriated school funds. It is true that the former Frincipal was eventually convicted of fraud, but she had already confessed, and the school accounts were being investigated, before the teachers made their allegations. I am in any case satisfied that this aspect of the affair is irrelevant to the principal problem of a refusal by certain teachers to accept reasonable discipline.