Fraught with controversy from the day it was proposed, national education is still facing many hurdles in Hong Kong. With one-third of primary schools refusing to implement it in September, it is not uncommon to hear calls for a boycott.
The Education Bureau said primary schools had until 2015 and secondary schools until 2016 to introduce weekly sessions on national education. The decision followed a public outcry last year over the consultation draft of the curriculum guidelines, criticised by many for their negligible mention of democracy and human rights. A revised version, released in May, was generally seen as a marked improvement.
But worries were fuelled again by the release of the reference booklet The China Model that contained glaring omissions of major events such as the June 4 crackdown on Tiananmen Square. It even portrayed a centralised political regime, like the one on the mainland, as a 'selfless' government that contributed to stability, and suggested that multi-party politics of the West might cause conflict and 'victimise' the people.
The fact that the booklet's publisher, the Hong Kong National Education Services Centre, was funded by the bureau, heightened concern about political censorship.
The Professional Teachers' Union is organising a protest march on Sunday and gathering signatures on a petition to push for a suspension of the plan until after a fresh round of consultation has been held.
A big question mark now hangs over how many schools will toe the bureau's line in September by adding national education to their syllabus. With teachers' workload already a matter of concern to many, some principals question the need for a separate subject that could easily be covered in Chinese history, liberal studies or civic education classes.