Opinion | For both Hong Kong protesters and the government, it is time to go back to school

As term starts and protests begin to thin out, the government should use the chance to relearn leadership and accountability, and start tackling the issues of housing and suffrage

But if it continues to sit on its hands, expect the protests to continue at the weekends and Christmas holidays

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A student in a headstand carries a sign saying: It’s exhausting when everything is topsy turvy. Alumni and students formed a human chain on September 6, calling for Chief Executive Carrie Lam to meet all five protest demands, at St Paul's Convent School in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 4:30pm, 8 Sep 2019Updated: 8:33pm, 8 Sep 2019

When my eldest son came back from school with his O level results many years ago, I was pleased as punch: nine straight As. His Hong Kong mum had a different perspective: she wanted to know why one of the As did not have a star next to it. Eight A* plus one A required an explanation. This huge gap in expectations has been with me ever since. He went on to complete a degree at a leading university in the United Kingdom, something that had eluded his father. (Full disclosure: I have a degree from a UK university, but it was secured by studying externally).

I use the example only to illustrate Hong Kong families’ attitude to education. That approach has not changed in half a century. When I first arrived in this city, many families were still poorly housed but every morning, children in immaculate school uniforms would emerge from those rudimentary squatter huts and head off to learn how to build their future.

It is against this background that I have begun to wonder about the impact of the start of term on the protest movement. Reports so far have been mixed: some schools report very few dropouts while others seem to have been more seriously affected. It is early days – not all educational institutions have resumed, after all – but my guess would be that within the next month or so, the traditional reverence that Hong Kong mums have for education will begin to kick in. Participation in political demonstrations is all very well, but career-wise it butters no parsnips.

There will also be a fall-off in involvement through sheer protest fatigue, and maybe some loss of enthusiasm as unemployment numbers start to rise. The belated agreement to use the word “withdrawal” in the context of the extradition bill saga will provide some comfort for those looking for an opportunity to begin a dialogue and reconciliation.

But it would be a mistake for the government to think it can simply ride out the storm and wait for passions to cool, as it did with the 2014 Occupy movement. One of the remarkable aspects of the last three months has been how the older generation stood behind the youngsters leading the charge. Who could ever forget the mothers in Chater Garden with their “Stop shooting our children” signs. And the public at large has been extraordinarily tolerant of the disruptions to daily life, at least up to now, though that understanding may be beginning to wear thin.

The first stress test at the airport on the last weekend of August stretched the patience of many to the limit, including, it should be said, that of this writer who returned on the Sunday in the middle of the mayhem. The second one, which took place on Saturday, was a lot less disruptive. After all, the protesters’ beef is with the government, not their fellow citizens.