Hong Kong teachers and students have duty to defend national security under patriotic education bill, says education minister
- Teachers to visit mainland China to foster mainstream values of ‘loving the country and Hong Kong’, says Secretary for Education Christine Choi
- Bill states country will adopt measures to strengthen awareness of its history and culture among those in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin on Saturday also said the city would send more teachers to visit mainland China in the coming year to foster mainstream values of “loving the country and Hong Kong” which were also in line with the “one country, two systems” governing principle.
It was the first time Choi had weighed in on the proposed national bill on patriotic education, scrutinised by China’s top legislative body – the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee – earlier this week. It is now under public consultation.
Article 22 of the bill states the country will adopt measures to strengthen awareness of its history and culture among those in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan to safeguard national unity. Article 14 also noted that schools at all levels and of all types should integrate patriotic education into their curriculums.
“Only by establishing a sense of mission towards the nation, understanding the rights, obligations, and responsibilities that a citizen should have, can one care about the development of the country and consciously safeguard its security.”
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Choi vowed the government would cooperate with the country to implement patriotic education. She added that more teacher-focused mainland tours would be organised to equip educators to cultivate students’ national identity.
According to a circular issued to schools on Friday, participation in a three- to four-day study tour to the mainland would be one of the training requirements for promoted teachers in the next academic year starting from September.
The tours included seminars and visits to schools, enterprises and cultural sites to provide teachers with “direct personal experience for deeper understanding” of the country’s development, it said.
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Wong Kam-leung, who chairs the 37,000-strong Beijing-friendly Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, told the Post that the city’s first patriotic education centre he ran would host events themed on traditional Chinese culture and values, alongside ones about national security, development and identity.
The centre, which marked its first anniversary on Saturday, would be upgraded to display the nation’s aerospace models in the coming year, Wong said.
Several tertiary institutions, including the University of Hong Kong and Polytechnic University, held flag-raising ceremonies to celebrate the handover anniversary on Saturday. PolyU’s event was attended by around 600 staff, students and alumni.
The Hong Kong garrison of the People’s Liberation Army also held flag-raising ceremonies at three of its barracks in the morning, marking the start of a three-day public engagement event that includes martial arts performances and displays of military equipment.
“Armoured vehicles and infantry firearms attracted many children. With the help of their parents, they held up their guns to ‘aim’ and posed for photos with officers,” the garrison said in a statement.
An open day will be held at Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks on Sunday for the city’s youth. Events on Monday will be open to the wider public.
Additional reporting by Kahon Chan
