Hong Kong authorities don't need to carry out annual criminal record checks on teachers despite a rise in cases of misconduct, Education Secretary Christine Choi said on Friday.

Lawmakers were told there were 304 professional misconduct cases involving teachers last year, three times the number in 2022.

Seventy-one teachers were struck off last year, 38 got reprimand letters and 149 received written warnings.

Some of the more serious cases involved child abuse, theft, and teachers having inappropriate relationships or improper physical contact with students.

The Education Bureau currently checks the criminal records of all registered teachers every three years. But several legislators on the council's education panel said they were worried this is insufficient and checks should be made every year.

In response, Choi said the rise in misconduct cases last year was actually a result of the bureau acting upon issues flagged up by criminal record checks.

She said the administration has a zero-tolerance approach regarding teachers who don't meet ethical or moral standards, but more frequent checks aren't necessary.

“If a teacher commits a crime while employed, we get the record immediately, so there's no need to wait three years. The checks conducted every three years are for those not currently working in schools who commit crimes that might not be reported,” she said.

On the idea of requiring teachers to apply to renew their licence every 10 years, Choi said the bureau is always open-minded about ways to uphold professionalism.