Ex-B.C. teacher quits job in Beijing

Sexual contact with Richmond students in 1970s publicized

VANCOUVER — A former B.C. teacher has resigned from his job at Beijing’s Huijia Private School after Postmedia News revealed his past sexual contact with students.

Robert John Robertson was stripped of his teaching credentials last year by B.C.’s Teacher Regulation Branch, based on allegations he had sex with three students ages 15 and 16 while employed by the Richmond School Board between 1974 and 1976.

“I resigned today as a result of your article,” Robertson wrote in an email. “I did not need B.C. certification to teach in China! Just a degree …which I have.”

“My family has been dealing with this for years and this information was already published!” it reads. “Throwing it back into their faces has of course angered people again, but as you can see, they never had the full story! I spent 40 years righting a wrong!”

In a statement, Robertson contends that his behaviour was influenced by “drug and alcoholinduced stupidity.” He said Richmond School Board officials allowed him to seek work in another district and told him “keep your nose clean.”

He resigned from his job and carried on with his teaching career in Vancouver, service he calls “exemplary.”

“The indiscretions in Richmond, to the best of my knowledge, had been dealt with by the [school board], RCMP, and Victoria [provincial education officials],” he wrote.

Robertson had been teaching at Huijia since 2011.

In announcing Robertson’s resignation, the school noted he had passed a background investigation when he was hired and has no criminal record.

A teacher background survey completed in 2017 found no issues, the school said.

Teacher-discipline decisions are posted on the Teachers Regulation Branch website and international regulatory bodies for teachers are notified, according to the B.C. Ministry of Education.

No inquiries about Robertson have been received from China, the ministry said.

Robertson was employed by the Vancouver School Board from 1976 to 2006, when he was investigated for another misconduct allegation. He resigned before he could be dismissed, according to court documents.

The B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch finally stripped Robertson of his teaching credentials last year after one of his victims complained that no action had been taken against him.