Primitive education has no place in HK

After less than 100 days in office, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is already in political intensive care. In record time, he has managed to lose his veneer of competence and credibility.

One of his cabinet appointees was arrested for corruption within two weeks of his assumption of his official duties. Another was found to have been a slumlord who owned illegal cage-like flats that he blamed entirely on his wife. Leung himself was caught with several illegal structures at his house.

Leung has also distinguished himself by inciting a large swathe of school teachers and students to stage massive street protests against his hasty effort to insert the "national education" programme into the school curriculum in order to "reconnect" Hong Kong's young people with the motherland.

The protests forced Leung to withdraw a deadline to implement the new curriculum. He has also given the schools flexibility concerning when and how to introduce it. Yet, this is widely perceived to be a tactical delay. With the job security of schoolmasters at risk, most are sure to implement the programme.

But why does China's government seek to impose the curriculum in the first place? After all, Hong Kong has one of the world's most educated populations.

Nevertheless, after more than 60 years in power, the Communist Party continues to retain a deep sense of insecurity. While dissent is the lifeblood of any open society, for China it is a dangerous poison. Moreover, Beijing fears that Hong Kong might present a systemic problem as an alternative form of government.