Dear Editor, I am writing to express my opinion on the heavy workloads of teachers in Hong Kong. Tragically, two teachers have committed suicide owing to tremendous pressures and the incidents have struck the alarm bell in society. As a matter of fact, they are a wake up call of the deficiency of our education system. It is all the more important for us to find the panacea to tackle the deteriorating problems of frustration and hopelessness among our teachers. With a view to alleviating our teachers’ frustration, we have to dig into the root of the problems beleaguering our teachers. As far as I am concerned, the intense competition among schools is the underlying reason for our teachers’ mounting pressures. As everyone knows, the education system in Hong Kong is exam-oriented. The competition of academic excellence among schools is intense. Inevitably, teachers have to spend a lot of time on preparing notes and homework for their students in order to enhance their performance in examinations. In a society where conventional teaching is dominant, the teacher-to-student ratio in each school is extremely high. Obviously, it is an insurmountable task for teachers to cater for the needs of every student during normal lessons. They have to sacrifice their holidays to provide extra assistance to less competent students. In order to beef up their teaching skills, teachers are required to participate in professional development programmes for one hundred and fifty hours every three years. To add insult to injury, the ubiquitous permeation of western cultures has resulted in shrinking birth rates in recent years. According to the Census and Statistics Department, the population growth rate of Hong Kong in 2005 was 0.8%, which was far lower than other countries in the Asia Pacific Region. To ensure efficient allocation of resources, the Education and Manpower Bureau has started the abolition of redundant school with plummeting rates of students’ enrollment. As a result, teachers and schools have to make tremendous efforts to ameliorate the academic performance of students for the sake of survival. With these heavy workloads, teachers in Hong Kong have been precipitated into the abyss of anxiety. On the other hand, the implementation of education reforms in 2000 has also increased the workloads of teachers. With a view to raising the core competitiveness of our next generation, the Education and Manpower Bureau has implemented revamps to our antiquated school curriculum. Teach