Hong Kong teachers will have one year to get practising certificates under a new government rule, Education Secretary Christine Choi Yuk-lin said on Friday. This delay aims to handle the expected surge in certificate applications and give schools time to adjust. Choi warned schools against helping teachers who have not met all requirements, like completing enough continuing professional development (CPD) hours, to submit their applications. "The practising certificate was proposed as the existing lifetime validity of teacher registration does not keep pace with the times, and there are rising expectations for education and … for teachers’ professional knowledge," she told lawmakers during a panel meeting. The practising certificate will be valid for three years and applies to teachers in public, private, international schools, and kindergartens. Short-term substitute teachers and tutors at private tuition centers are not included. To qualify, teachers must meet six criteria: hold a valid teaching registration or permit, be employed as a teacher, declare any criminal convictions in the past three years, promise to uphold professional standards and obey laws including China’s constitution, the Basic Law, and the national security law, complete 150 hours of CPD in three years, and live in Hong Kong. This move aims to ensure teachers stay professionally updated and show legal and ethical responsibility in their work.