I disagree with Cathy Fung's suggestion of turning Chinese history into a subject for junior school students ("Why Chinese history helps younger pupils", January 8), despite her good intentions. As I understand it, general studies in primary schools includes Chinese history in the curriculum. The pupils learn about ancient Chinese inventions and various dynasties. That is enough for children of that age. Having a separate Chinese history subject would be too much for these young minds. History can be complex. Students are not just taught historical facts but expected to make judgments about historical events. A 10-year-old boy is not ready to assess whether Mao Zedong was a saviour or an autocrat without knowledge that he is not yet ready to acquire. Covering such a subject is just too demanding for primary school students. They cannot be expected to look at an issue like this with the depth that is required. However, it is important at secondary level and I am concerned that fewer secondary schools in Hong Kong are making Chinese history a separate subject. If this is a long-term trend, then it is a cause for concern, as it implies that we do not care about our history. I know that there are some students who do find history to be a boring subject. However, it does matter and it makes no sense for a Chinese student not to be learning about China's history. It is important that students should not just treat the subject as an exercise where they just memorise facts. That renders the whole course meaningless. The whole point of having Chinese history as a separate subject in secondary schools is to encourage students, having absorbed the facts, to then analyse them and come to their own conclusions. This will help them to have a greater appreciation of the nation's past achievements and the mistakes that were made. It is important to learn from these mistakes. As Winston Churchill said, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." If we are to be a better nation, it can be achieved only through having a thorough understanding of our history. Josh Sin, Tuen Mun
