The 2019 Return to China campaign, a large number of secondary school students involved, Beijing officials have repeatedly stressed the need to overhaul the Education system as soon as possible. The Hong Kong Education Bureau announced Thursday night (4) that primary and secondary schools must fully implement the national security law, the curriculum must be infiltrated with national security elements, but also in each school stationed in the national security education team to monitor. The education sector criticized this move is to completely cleanse Hong Kong’s education sector, a major national “brainwashing” education.
In 2019, students built a human chain outside the school gates, shouting political slogans: “Five demands! One is missing!”
Over the past two years, Hong Kong police have arrested a total of 3,600 secondary school students who have participated in the anti-SEC movement. Both pro-Beijing political groups and Beijing officials have blamed the education system for the problem.
The Hong Kong Education Bureau on Thursday announced a series of measures to ensure that all students in Hong Kong learn the concept of national security, with new content in the curriculum divided into eight areas: the concept and importance of national security, the Constitution, the Basic Law and national security, the purpose and principles of Hong Kong’s national security legislation, the HKSAR’s responsibility for safeguarding national security and its institutional set-up, the central government’s fundamental responsibility for safeguarding national security, crimes that endanger national security Criminal acts, key areas of national security, and the relationship between national security and human rights, freedom and the rule of law.
Hong Kong students hold a flag-raising ceremony. (Video screenshot)
The eight areas will be fully penetrated in all subject areas of primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong in the future, including at least 15 learning areas/subjects such as Chinese, geography, Music, technology, economics and science. But how do these subjects relate to national security?
For example, in General Studies, Junior Secondary Geography, and Senior Secondary Biology, the EDB cites the following examples: in General Studies, “Recognize people who serve in different positions in society and appreciate their contribution to society and the protection of Hong Kong; for example, the police and the communist army”; in Junior Secondary Geography, “Recognize the extent of the Mainland’s territory and territorial waters from the example of the South China Sea. In junior high school Geography, the teacher “teaches about ‘infectious diseases’ and ‘prevention of diseases’ in the following sections In high school biology, when teaching ‘infectious diseases’ and ‘prevention of diseases’, students are asked to collect information about The prevention of infectious diseases from reliable websites, such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the National health Commission… Understand the importance the country places on the health of its people.”
Although kindergartens are not included in the framework, the EDB also states that schools can gradually build students’ identity as Chinese through stories and role plays as a basis for national security education.
Schools set up national security education teams empowered to call the police for help
To ensure the implementation of national security education, EDB also requires schools to set up national security education teams, appointing dedicated staff to coordinate and monitor the implementation of national security education, and report regularly to school management on their work.
Secretary for Education Yang Yun-hung said that he did not want political propaganda to appear on campus and did not think that the measures restrict the freedom of expression of teachers and students.
For students to hold actions to express political demands in school, the Education Bureau set out specific examples and asked schools to deal with them seriously, including students wearing ornaments with political messages, chanting slogans, pulling human chains, displaying items related to Hong Kong independence, etc. Schools should immediately discourage them and explain that the behavior may be in conflict with national security laws. If the situation is serious or urgent, the Bureau recommends that schools call the police immediately.
Some secondary school principals worry that the measures add pressure
Secretary for Education Yang Yun-hung said he did not want political propaganda to appear on campus and did not think the measures restrict the freedom of expression of teachers and students.
Yang Yunxiong: “We have not wanted to have political propaganda in the school, because there is no benefit to creating a quiet, stable environment for students to learn, not related to freedom of speech. Many topics can be discussed within the school, never freedom of speech is not unrestricted.”
According to the President of the Guidance Teachers’ Association and secondary school principal Ho Yuk Fan, national security education will inevitably bring challenges to the education sector and add to the teaching pressure of schools and teachers.
The president of the Guidance Teachers Association, Ho Yuk Fan: “It’s not that students do a little deviant behavior and we immediately deal with it in the form of law. We are not law enforcement, national security education is inevitable, will bring new challenges for the education sector. The pressure is not that we want to do not want to do, the pressure is that our fellow educators can grasp the relevant knowledge, content, relevant concepts and frameworks, legal issues, how much we know, many things we have to re-learn and understand.”
Yang Yunxiong said the future will arrange training for teaching staff, emphasizing that schools have the responsibility to keep schools from endangering national security, and who is ultimately responsible, depending on the evidence and the circumstances.
Recent Comments