Image from inmediahk.net. Used with permission. The following post is the English version of a Chinese feature report published on Hong Kong based online news outlet, inmediahk.net, on September 18, 2022. It has been republished on Global Voices under a content partnership agreement with inmediahk.net. At least 4,000 teachers left the teaching profession in the 2020/21 school year, according to the Hong Kong Education Bureau. The number reflects a 70 percent surge in resignations compared with 2,380 in the previous year. More teachers are expected to change their career paths in the coming year as a result of crackdowns on teachers and strong government intervention in the classroom. The mass exodus of teachers came after the enactment of the National Security Law (NSL) on June 30, 2020, along with the introduction of the national security curriculum and new “loyalty oath” requirements. The Education Bureau claimed that the mass exodus was “a personal choice” and that the government would address the problem by strengthening school management and providing promotion opportunities for young teachers. It did not address any policy-level concerns. To find out what compelled thousands of teachers to quit their careers, reporters from inmediahk interviewed some former teachers about their experiences. Alan, 53, had been teaching physics and mathematics since 1992 before he left at the end of 2020. By then, he was the physics department head with a monthly HKD 90,000 (approximately USD 11,500) salary. However, he was determined to leave Hong Kong: I don’t want my children to grow up in such an environment. He sold his home and moved to England with his wife and their 15- and 18-year-old children. He always saw teaching as a life-long commitment, but after the anti-China extradition protests in 2019, he anticipated the erosion of freedom in the city. Before he left, he had seen many complaints targeting teachers. Around mid-2020, some pro-Beijing politicians and groups in Hong Kong set up hotlines and websites that encouraged the public to report people suspected of violating the NSL. The so-called suspects included journalists and school teachers allegedly engaged in “professional misconduct.” This initiative was later taken over by the Hong Kong police. To integrate into his new home in England, Alan found a part-time job as a hotel receptionist. He also worked as a private tutor for students in Hong Kong and the UK. He does not regret giving up his career, stressing: Seeing my children growing up in a democratic and free environment and having a happy school life is more important. Tiffany, 43, a teacher in charge of administrative affairs in a primary school, also migrated to the UK. She explained her decision: After 2019, the school climate changed rapidly. The administration reminded teachers to be careful when teaching in class and writing on social media to avoid complaints. The environment was not educational. From 2019–2021, the Education Bureau received 502 complaints about teachers’ professional misconduct, of which 344 were related to the 2019 protests. Of the 189 substantiated cases, six teachers were deregistered, 50 received letters of reprimandand, 59 received warnings, and 39 received written advice, and 37 were given verbal reminders of the NSL policies. Tiffany received a complaint from parents after she asked students to complete homework involving newspaper clippings. The parents accused her of bringing politics into the school and questioned her political orientation. While she had received no punishment, she anticipated that “things would get worse.” In the 2020/21 school year, elements of national security were introduced to the campus. All public schools were required to fly the national flag daily and conduct weekly flag-raising ceremonies in the 2021/22 school year. To meet the requirement, Tiffany's school established a flag-raising team and a ladder squad. The school carefully picked students from pro-government families to join. In February 2021, the Education Bureau announced the implementation of the National Security Education Curriculum Guidelines for the upcoming school year. Two months later, on April 15, National Security Education Day was held for the first time in all primary and middle schools. On that day, all other classes were suspended in Tiffany’s school. Teachers went into the classrooms with PowerPoint presentations promoting the National Secutiry Law. Tiffany is not worried that her daughters will be “brainwashed” as she has taught them about current events and has taken them to rallies in the past. However, she does not want to see her daughtering living in a conflict-filled, hostile environment.