TLs being insulted

[Michael Ming, Hung]

Dear friends,

Recently, Hong Kong government suggests to launch a language benchmark
testing for all teachers. When some journalists ask the Assistant Director
of the Education Department how to arrange those teachers who do not pass
the benchmark, he said "school principal may arrange them to do other
administrative work, like working in the library" (in Hong Kong school,
there is only one teacher-librarian in each school and not every school
have clerial assistant)

Many TLs think: 
1. this is an "labeling" on 2nd class or failed teacher should go to library;
2. this cause many teachers and principals further intensify their
misunderstanding of the library work (as a not profeesional easy task, just
check-in and out, read books and newspaper etc)
3. this cause discrimination on the library profession
4. lable that everybody can do library work
5. career of library is a "refugee camp"
6. neglect the professional side of the teacher-librarians' work (like
curriculum development, collaborative planning and teaching, information
literacy etc...)

We will have a meeting with the department and present a letter to the
Director to show our sadness and ill-feeling.

I am now asking for international comments, support and backup.

Please pray for our professional development.

Michael Hung
Education and Information Techonlogy Officer
Teacher-Librarian Group
HK Professional Teachers' Union 
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michael hung   ICQ=6638008
SKH Bishop Mok Sau Tseng Secondary School, Librarian
HK Professional Teachers' Union, Teacher-librarians' Group, Chairman

Jesus Christ, is the same Yesterday and Today and Forever. ~Hebrew 13:8
Homepage = http://www.school.net.hk/~mmhung/
michael email: mmhung at school.net.hk [or] mmhung at hknet.com
ida email: idachan2 at hknet.com                          ida & michael Hung
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