Over the years, parents and students in the semi-autonomous city have expressed apprehension of moving towards a China-style “patriotic education”, with a previous attempt to introduce such a course defeated by mass protests in 2012. The new rules, which were followed by the new security law, and the crackdown on the city’s anti-government movement, both go a long way.
“Schools have a significant role to play,” he added.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, the former MLA and vice-chairman of the Professional Teachers Union, IP Qin-UN, criticized the government for announcing new policies without consulting teachers and parents.
There is a lot of sensitivity and anticipation when it comes to teaching national security law, he said. “It will bring tremendous pressure and anxiety on principals and teachers.”
New rules
They go into great detail about how national security issues should be taught in a variety of subjects, from general studies and history to biology and music, as well as how administrators and teachers should handle disciplinary issues and fail to respect new guidelines.
Both teachers and students who violate the rules face potential censorship, with administrators advising police to be involved in the occurrence of “serious” crimes, while books and other materials counted against national security remain to be removed from the school grounds. Specific guidance is provided for what materials are covered.
“If an employee is found to have committed an act of disrespect to the country, the school should provide appropriate advice or warning and accordingly look into the future performance of this employee,” the rules state.
Both university and high school students were at the forefront of anti-government, pro-democracy protests that shook Hong Kong for most of 2019. During the unrest and when the National Security Act was being introduced, many pro-government figures blamed the city’s liberal education curriculum, as well as teachers, saying the city’s youth are being radicalized.
“We lost two pay generations, we lost them through schools,” a senior adviser to Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lum, told CNN at the height of the unrest.
The assistant said on condition of anonymity, “The basic problem is that you have a whole generation of young people who are not only dead, but really hate China.” “How can you make ‘one country, two systems’ work if you hate the whole pay generation country?”
While members of the city’s democratic opposition have rejected the claims, pointing out that many of them simply did not receive the radical texts introduced in 2009, the pressure to “reform” Hong Kong’s education system has not stopped.
“We cannot tolerate seeing that with the infiltration of politics on school campuses, students lead to political unrest or are misled into engaging in illegal and violent acts, for which they have to take legal responsibilities that will affect their lives.” He added, “It is the shared responsibility of the government, society, education sector and parents to find a way to save our students.”
Political control
Under the new guidelines, the inclusion of religions of national security will be an early start.
Kindergarten – both private and public – will be expected to bring more knowledge to their students about “Chinese history, Chinese culture and moral education”, the guide says, “will gradually increase students’ recognition as Chinese and thus lay the foundation for national security education.” “
From the age of 6, all students in Hong Kong will receive new lessons aimed at “understanding the history and development of the country, the importance of national security, the national flag, the national emblem and the national anthem”.
Elementary school students will be instructed to sing the national anthem and raise the flag, while older children will discuss the rationale behind the law and the importance of institutions such as the People’s Liberation Army.
Nor are international schools – which are popular among both foreign residents and wealthy locals – exempt from the new guidelines.
While private educational institutions are not directly under the control of the EDB, rules issued on Thursday state that international and private schools have a responsibility to “help their students (regardless of their race or nationality) achieve a true and objective understanding … of national security and The concept of national security law, as well as the duty to cultivate a spirit of law-abiding among their students. “
Others are moving to Canada and Australia, where many Hong Kong members have dual residences, while many leading activists and politicians seek asylum in the UK, Germany and the United States.
Opposition MLA Lester Shame said last year that this (migration) was already happening, especially for families with young children. “If I put myself in their shoes, I can understand their fears and anxieties about the next pay generation. Kids can’t have a bright prospect or a bright future in Hong Kong, and so to keep it safe … why would those people want to take a holiday?” Is understandable. “
Anxiety for teachers
For school staff, both administrators and teachers, the new rules open up the possibility of students being registered for national security violations, resulting in losing their jobs or being arrested in extreme incidents.
While for many older Chinese people these practices are a worrying echo of the Cultural Revolution, with teenage Red Guards repeatedly abusing and even killing teachers, such campaigns have been spearheaded by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to the state news agency Xinhua, the guidelines emphasize the CYP’s work in the wake of the basic task of supporting the party leadership and adhering to young people capable of engaging in communist causes.
CNN’s Eric Cheng contributed to the report.
.
