Democracy in Hong Kong on the decline

A teacher in Hong Kong lost her job for encouraging her students to express themselves freely and question the government. The Education Bureau labelled her as a “black sheep” and warned that they would be looking out for people like her in order to make sure that children don’t get deviant ideas. Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, said that it was a “very serious matter” if teachers targeted the Chinese government. Education is meant to nake children curious and make them question the world around them. If education is streamlined to show only one perspective, it loses its purpose completely. The teacher in Hong Kong touched upon sensitive topics relating to China as well as indirectly advocated for Hong Kong's Independence and she had every right to do so. 

The Professional Teachers’ Union declared this unfair termination as a breach of democracy. Freedom of speech is gradually being eroded in Hong Kong with stricter and stricter punishments with regards to political deviance. Voices are being suppressed in an attempt to curb the youth from questioning their freedom and rights as a citizen of their country. Hong Kong has been a region of dissent for a very long time, and lately, students have been making up a large portion of protesters on the city’s streets. Therefore, censoring the truth and silencing opposition will just lead to rebellion and political unrest.