Civic education should be a must
I disagree with Curtis Ng, who wrote the letter 'Don't make civic education a must' (Young Post, February 7).
Curtis argues that 'patriotism should come naturally from our pride in our country's liberal and democratic values'.
In my opinion, moral and civic education is a must. It is a new subject that will enhance patriotism among Hong Kong students and strengthen their attachment to the mainland.
We are Hongkongers. We should know more about our motherland. This new subject can also improve our knowledge.
Even though it is true that the subject will add to our workload, studying more at school is not a bad thing.
In short, I think adding civic education to the curriculum is not wrong.
Carrie Ng Wai-ching, Christian Alliance S. C. Chan Memorial College
From the Editor
Thank you for your letter, Carrie. The whole idea of civic education is certainly a thorny issue. Would we be having this conversation if we lived in Sweden, I wonder.
There is no doubt that the mainland does need to encourage Hongkongers to view it in a better light. We have seen the recent great divisions between us and mainlanders and that is worrying. Whether it should be force-fed at school is a different issue.
I hope that whatever happens, Hong Kong students will be able to have a balanced view of the realities on the mainland.
Susan, Editor
