For years, parents and students in the semi-autonomous city have feared a move towards a ‘patriotic education’ in China, with a previous attempt to put in place such a curriculum that was defeated by mass protests in 2012. The new rules come in the wake of both the new security law and a suppression of the city’s opposition movement, extending far beyond what was previously raised.
“Schools have an important role to play in this,” he added.
In a press conference on Thursday, Ip Kin-yuen, a former lawmaker and vice-president of the Professional Teachers Union, criticized the government for announcing the new policy without consulting teachers and parents.
“There is a lot of sensitivity and unpredictability when it comes to education legislation on national security,” he said. “It will create great pressure and anxiety among principals and teachers.”
New rules
They provide a fine detail of how national security issues should be taught across different subjects, from general studies and history to biology and music, as well as how administrators and teachers should deal with discipline issues and the failure to respect the new guidelines.
Both teachers and students who violate the rules have potential censorship, and administrators are advised to involve the police in the event of “serious” violations, while removing books and other materials deemed to be in violation of national security from the school grounds. should be provided, although little precise guidance is offered for what materials are covered.
“If it is found that an employee has committed any act of contempt of the country, the school must give appropriate advice or warning, and accordingly pay attention to the future performance of this employee,” the rules state.
Students, both university and high school, were at the forefront of anti-government pro-democracy protests that rocked Hong Kong for much of 2019. During the unrest and in the run-up to the introduction of the national security law, many government figures blamed the city’s liberal education curriculum as well as teachers for the alleged radical radicalization of the city’s youth.
“We lost two generations, we lost it through the schools,” Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam told CNN during the riots.
“The fundamental problem is that you have a whole generation of young people who are not only dead against China, but actually hate China,” the assistant said on condition of anonymity. “How are you going to make ‘one country, two systems’ work if you have a whole generation that hates that country?”
While members of the city’s democratic opposition rejected these allegations, pointing out that many of them did not receive the so-called radical lessons, introduced only in 2009, it did not put pressure on Hong Kong’s reform. education system.
“We can not see students with political turmoil or even being misled into engaging in illegal and violent acts, for which they have to take legal responsibilities that have an impact on their lives,” Lam said. said and added that it is ‘the shared responsibility of government, society, the education sector and parents to find a way to protect our students.’
Political control
Under the new guidelines, the principles of national security will start early.
Kindergartens – both private and public – will be expected to instill a greater knowledge of ‘Chinese history, Chinese culture and moral education’ in their students, which according to the guidelines will gradually build up ‘students’ identity as a Chinese . lays the foundation for education in national security. ‘
From the age of 6, all students in Hong Kong will receive new lessons to help them understand the country’s history and development, the importance of national security, the national flag, the national emblem and the national anthem.
Primary school students will be instructed to sing the national anthem and raise the flag, while older children will discuss the rationale behind the law itself and the importance of institutions such as the People’s Liberation Army.
International schools – which are popular with foreign residents and wealthy residents – are also not exempt from the new guidelines.
While private educational institutions are not directly under the control of the EDB, the rules issued on Thursday state that international and private schools “have a responsibility to help their students (regardless of their ethnicity and nationality) to have a correct and objective understanding. acquired … from the concept of national security and the national security law, as well as the duty to cultivate a law-abiding spirit among their students. ‘
Others moved to Canada and Australia, where many Hong Kongers had dual residence, while several leading activists and politicians sought asylum in the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States.
“The (exodus) is already taking place, especially for families with young children,” opposition lawmaker Lester Shum said last year. If I put myself in their shoes, I can understand the fear and worry they have about the next generation. Children can not quite have a bright prospect or a bright future in Hong Kong, and so to protect it … it’s understandable why people want to leave. ‘
Concern for teachers
For school workers, both administrators and teachers, the new rules open up the possibility of being reported by students for violating national security, something that could lead to them losing their jobs or, in extreme cases, being arrested.
While these practices resonate with many older Chinese of the Cultural Revolution, in which teenage Red Guards frequently abused and even murdered teachers, such campaigns began under Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“The guideline emphasizes the maintenance of the Party’s leadership on the CYP work and the pursuit of the fundamental task of nurturing capable young people who are well prepared to join the communist cause,” according to the state news agency Xinhua.
CNN’s Eric Cheung reported.