The decision came after Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in his Policy Address to “step up the management of the teaching force on various fronts such as appointment, conduct, and training” in the city.

According to a spokesperson, the Education Bureau confirmed on Monday that newly appointed teachers in public sector schools are required to pass the Basic Law Test to be considered for appointment, starting from the current school year.

The test covers the Basic Law and the National Security Law.

The test requirement will also be extended to cover all Direct Subsidy Scheme schools and kindergartens joining the kindergarten education scheme starting from the 2023/24 school year.

Besides, teachers who have sat for and obtained a pass result in any Basic Law Test and plan to join or change schools in the 2023/24 school year will be required to retake the test and attain a pass result to be considered for appointment.

The written test is a bilingual paper. Candidates scoring at least 10 out of 20 multiple-choice questions could be deemed to have passed.