All public primary schools will start teaching a controversial course in moral and national education in 2015. Public secondary schools will follow in 2016.
The Education Bureau said the curriculum has been modified greatly in response to concerns about potential indoctrination.
The head of a government-appointed taskforce that drafted the syllabus, Professor Lee Chack-fan (pictured), said they had modified it in response to public demand. 'There won't be one-sided praise [about the mainland],' Lee said.
The bureau announced its revised curriculum guide on April 30 after a four-month consultation.
Originally, the subject would have been introduced in primary schools this September and in secondary schools in 2013.
The revised curriculum will focus on developing critical thinking skills by students, the bureau said.