Policy secretaries, lawmakers and judges would be required to take classes on the Basic Law under a motion to be tabled at the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Secretary for Home Affairs Patrick Ho Chi-ping welcomed the idea, describing the study of the 121-page mini-constitution as a life-long learning process.
Mr Ho, a conference delegate, said learning about the Basic Law was like 'filial piety', something one can never do enough to fulfil. 'My mother always says I am not filial enough. I just have to do more. As long as one lives, one should learn the Basic Law,' he said.
But Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Stephen Lam Sui-lung said the government had no plan to set up Basic Law classes for civil servants. Hong Kong's senior officials understood it very well, he added.
The motion, put forward by Hong Kong delegate Lee Cho-jat, is backed by about 50 CPPCC members. Missing from the proposal, however, was a call for a mechanism to assess any breach of the oath of allegiance by those in office.
Mr Lee had said he would consider tabling a motion to have such a mechanism installed.
