Hong Kong schools get national security Q&A kit for pupils to learn over summer break, but principals say homework too tricky for youngsters

Principals say issues covered in 62 questions and answers are hard for primary school pupils to grasp
Schools have flexibility to use handout to plan lessons and guide students, Education Bureau says

Hong Kong national security law (NSL)

Wynna WongandJess Ma

Published: 5:00pm, 10 Jun 2023

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Hong Kong’s education authorities have issued a set of 62 questions and answers on national security and Chinese history for students to learn on their own during the summer holidays, but some principals have said they are too difficult for younger children.

It went out with a circular from the Education Bureau to all local primary and secondary schools this week, suggesting activities they could plan and available resources for marking the third anniversary of the introduction of the national security law in Hong Kong.

The bureau said the 62 multiple choice questions, answers and references aimed to strengthen students’ understanding of their country and national security.

It encouraged students to go through them on their own during the two-month holidays, and added that teachers should follow up on their progress.

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Some principals told the Post they needed more clarity, including guidelines on how to use the materials and what teachers were supposed to do.

“The questions are quite difficult and it is impossible for kids in the lower grades to understand, let alone answer them,” Yaumati Catholic Primary School (Hoi Wang Road) Principal Polly Chan Shuk-yee said.

“The circular also says teachers should follow up on the students’ progress, and we want to know what, exactly, that means.”

Titled “National Security Education Summer Self-learning Materials”, the set of questions covers Hong Kong and Chinese political history, policy developments and cultural heritage, and is meant for primary and secondary schools.

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One question asks students to name the Chinese leader who said during a meeting with a United States congressional delegation in 1978 that “China could not bear the imperative to not use force to solve the Taiwan problem, otherwise it would practically cut off a method to resolve the Taiwan problem, including a peaceful resolution”.

Principals said few students, and even some teachers, were likely to know the answer was Deng Xiaoping, China’s late paramount leader.

Another question asks students to identify the duties of the Hong Kong government’s Committee for Safeguarding National Security, with more than one correct answer from a choice of four.

Other questions are about the contents of a mainland policy paper on resolving housing difficulties faced by poor urban families in 2007, the dates of Unesco World Heritage site listings of various attractions in mainland China and Macau, and matching political quotes with speakers.

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Principal Chan said students could work on just one question a day during the holidays as suggested by the Education Bureau, but the contents were complicated and she questioned if younger children could grasp them.

“The burden will probably end up landing on the parents,” she said.

Chu Wai-lam, vice-chairman of the New Territories School Heads Association and headmaster of Fung Kai No 1 Primary School in Sheung Shui, said even older primary students were likely to only “partially understand” the topics.

But, like some other educators, he viewed the set of questions as a suggestion for lesson planning rather than a compulsory activity.

He said teachers could group the questions by topic and create lesson plans, before asking students to complete the quiz afterwards.

Lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung has urged the government to improve on the quality of its national security education materials. Photo: Facebook/Chu Kwok-keung

Agreeing that schools had flexibility, Langton Cheung Yung-pong, a primary school principal and honorary chairman of the Hong Kong Aided Primary School Heads Association, said: “I think if this was mandatory and we were meant to strictly adhere to these questions, we would know without a doubt.”

He added that in the past, the Education Bureau had used “very tough” language when announcing compulsory activities for schools.

This time, it appeared different. “Teachers can adapt the questions and topics to their students’ level using their professional judgment,” he said.

Responding to the Post, a bureau spokeswoman said the national security law package was meant to encourage continuous learning in national education, and schools and teachers had leeway in deciding how to use the materials.

“The guidelines do not have fixed learning methods,” she said. “Schools and teachers may decide how it should be used, while students can also learn by themselves by using the explanatory information in the materials.”

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Meanwhile, education sector lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung said there was “room for improvement” at the government’s end as the materials were “not of very high quality”.

“For one, there are several glaring typos,” he said. “One question asks about the ‘1988 financial crisis’ when it should be 1998.”

Another question spotted by the Post states that the first meeting of the Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area was held in 1985, but the correct year is 2018.

Chu said: “It will be better for learning if the government produced videos or stories for students to watch each week. This seems like a very rigid approach.”