As expected, the proposed introduction of national education in schools has triggered much debate on exactly what students are to be educated about. Critics and sceptics worry that it will become 'brainwashing', imposing government-mandated politically correct viewpoints on schoolchildren at the expense of alternative perspectives and tolerance of political dissent. Supporters, by contrast, consider it essential in inculcating a sense of national identity.
Fourteen years after reunification, the sense of nationhood among Hong Kong people remains somewhat ambivalent. The suppression of Chinese national sentiments during colonial rule and the ideological schism over revolution in contemporary China have led to baggage filled with scepticism and alienation.
Furthermore, circumstances often discourage the debate of national matters. While Hong Kong people are sometimes blamed for not caring enough about national developments, they are at the same time cautioned against being too immersed in mainland affairs, which are said to belong to the 'other' system, especially over human rights and other politically sensitive issues.
If we are serious about national education, we should aim to groom an active national citizenship, instead of a passive and superficial form of national identification. National education, if done well, gives people a sense of belonging, solidarity and pride in being part of a community of ethnic, cultural and historical affinity. Such bonding is essential to purposeful pursuits.
Narrow-minded national or ethnic sentiments, however, breed exclusion, prejudice and even hostility towards people of another race or country. Throughout history, wars and atrocities have occurred in the name of nationalism; it led to the Holocaust and other ethnic cleansing. How to balance national pride and cross-national and cross-cultural inclusiveness is a great challenge for leaders and teachers all around the world.
In national education, what can be learned or inculcated about the national identity? Ideally, we learn to appreciate our nation's peoples, culture, history, and geographical and demographic features. These apparently innocent elements can sometimes be very controversial, because wars and hostilities are often a result of drawing boundaries and demarcating differences precisely on the basis of ethnicity, geography, and cultural and religious affiliation.