The Hong Kong Education Bureau announced that primary and secondary schools must fully implement the National Security Law, and the national security element must be incorporated into the curriculum. The program was described by the school sector as “killing the subject” and pushing national education; the education sector also criticized the move as a complete cleansing of the education sector and a major national “brainwashing” education. The photo shows Secretary for Education Yang Yun-hung. (Photo source: Hong Kong Government Information Service)
The Hong Kong Education Bureau announced Thursday night that primary and secondary schools must fully implement the National Security Law, the curriculum must be infiltrated with elements of national security, but also in each school stationed in the “national security education team” to monitor. The proposal was described by the academic community as “killing the subject” and pushing hard for national education; the education community also criticized the move as a thorough cleansing of the education sector and a major national “brainwashing” education. The education sector has also criticized the move as an attempt to cleanse the education sector and “brainwash” the nation. Rubio condemned Beijing‘s implementation of education reforms in Hong Kong and urged the Biden administration to continue to hold Beijing officials accountable. In addition, the Education Bureau will “reform” high school Liberal Studies, which is being questioned as a reincarnation of national education. The “Hong Kong Secondary School Students’ Concern Group Alliance”, formed by several secondary school students’ concern groups, set up a street stall in Mongkok yesterday afternoon, urging the public to pay attention and respond to the online joint signatures.
Hong Kong schools incorporate national security curriculum
According to Radio Free Asia, the Hong Kong Education Bureau announced a series of measures on the 4th, pointing out that to ensure that all students in Hong Kong to learn the concept of national security. In addition, in order to ensure the implementation of national security education, the Education Bureau also requires schools to set up “national security education team”, appointing dedicated personnel to coordinate and monitor the implementation of national security education, and regularly report to the school management work.
Yang Yunxiong said, “We always do not want to have political propaganda in the school, because it is not good for creating a quiet and stable environment for students to learn, and it has nothing to do with freedom of speech. Many topics can be discussed within the school, never freedom of speech are not unlimited.”
Yang Yunxiong said the future will arrange training for teaching staff, and stressed that the school has the responsibility to keep the school from jeopardizing national security, and ultimately who is responsible, depending on the situation and evidence.
According to the information released by the Education Bureau, the new content of the curriculum is divided into eight areas, the future will be fully penetrated in all subject areas of primary and secondary schools, including Chinese, geography, Music, technology, economics and science and at least 15 learning areas or subjects.
For example, the Education Bureau said that in the elementary school subject of General Studies, “to 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”; in the junior high school subject of Geography, “to recognize the scope of China’s territory and territorial waters from the example of the South China Sea… …to understand the importance of securing the country’s land”; in high school biology, when teaching “infectious diseases” and “prevention of diseases”, the teacher asked students to learn from “reliable” websites, “such as the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the National health Commission, to collect information on The prevention of infectious diseases ……”.
Industry criticism of the coming purge
Counselling Teachers’ Association President and secondary school principal Ho Yuk-fan argued in response, “It’s not that students do less deviant behavior and we immediately deal with it in legal form. We are not law enforcement, national security education is inevitable and will bring new challenges to the education sector. The pressure is not whether we want to do it or not, the pressure is that we can grasp the knowledge, content, relevant concepts and frameworks, legal issues, how much we know, and many things we have to learn and understand again.”
Senator Rubio Condemns Beijing’s Implementation of Education Reform in Hong Kong
Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, issued a statement on May 5 in response to the Hong Kong government’s education directive announced under the national security law implemented by the Beijing government, according to the Voice of America.
Rubio denounced: “The Chinese government will do everything in its power to impose its will on the people of Hong Kong and destroy the freedoms they have long cherished. The Hong Kong government is pushing propaganda-style education directives under the guise of promoting patriotism. These so-called reforms clearly demonstrate that the Chinese Communist Party‘s goal is to destroy academic freedom in Hong Kong and to begin imposing on the next generation of Hong Kong people the ideological unification that has long been practiced in mainland China.”
The statement also noted that “the United States cannot remain silent about Beijing’s continued suppression of Hong Kong’s fundamental freedoms. The Biden Administration must continue to hold accountable those officials involved in suppressing the freedoms and autonomy this city has long cherished.”
High school students organize Mongkok street staging anti-state education to revive students: hope to fight for the future they want
According to “Stand News” reported, “Hong Kong secondary school students concern group alliance” was established in September 2020, is composed of about 80 different secondary schools since the anti-sending of the concern group formed, now has about 300 members.
The street demonstration started at 2:00 p.m. on the 6th, with several members erecting the “Anti-redistribution, Strive for Democracy” banner in the downtown area, and members introducing the content of the street demonstration to the public passing by.
Miaoli, a Form 3 student in charge of foreign affairs at the Union, said she is the first student who will receive “reformed” liberal arts education in high school and wants to voice her discontent.
She said she plans to hold several street stalls this month, hoping to collaborate with other secondary student organizations and collect 100,000 online signatures to gather strength and let more people know how serious the situation secondary students are facing is.
Another member, S4R, who is in charge of internal affairs, described the so-called “reform” of Liberal Studies as not only a “replica of national education” but even worse than that, which further renders the campus abject and describes it as “a product of the National Security Law”. The “reform” is not only a “replica of national education”, but even worse than that, it further reddens the campus, and described it as “a product of the National Security Law”, so that students lose their independence and critical thinking, “directly affecting a generation of people, losing their criticism of public policy. Without these things, Hong Kong would still be Hong Kong?”
Therefore, R students believe that they must stand up against the “reform” and the silence of the regime, “can no longer retreat. He also said that he would not let the police suppress his voice, even if it cost him his youth and Time, and reduced his study time, “but I believe it’s worth it, for our next generation and for the students at Home.”
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