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Unruly students learned ‘improper behaviour’ from Occupy movement, says Hong Kong education chief

  • Kevin Yeung Yun-hung told Legco meeting that the eduction system needed to instil positive messages and values in students
  • Campus protests have resulted in injuries to 16 people in the last five years

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A protester wearing academic dress in Mong Kok during the Occupy movement protests in October 2014. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Hong Kong’s education chief told lawmakers on Wednesday that 16 people have been injured during protests on university campuses in the last five years, saying students had learned about “improper behaviour” from the Occupy movement and clashes in the Legislative Council.

Kevin Yeung Yun-hung was responding at the weekly Legco meeting to the question of pro-establishment lawmaker Starry Lee Wai-king, who asked if the series of incidents showed a problem in the city’s education system.

Yeung said data obtained from the Education Bureau showed that, since 2014, there have been 11 incidents of demonstrations on campus by university students that developed into confrontations, resulting in a total of 14 members of teaching staff and two others being wounded.

But Yeung said it wasn’t from their schooling that the youngsters learned such behaviour.

HKU students try to break into the The Hong Kong Jockey Club Building For Interdisciplinary Research, in January 2016, where Chairman of the governing Council of the University of Hong Kong Arthur Li Kwok-cheung was attending a meeting. Photo: Sam Tsang
HKU students try to break into the The Hong Kong Jockey Club Building For Interdisciplinary Research, in January 2016, where Chairman of the governing Council of the University of Hong Kong Arthur Li Kwok-cheung was attending a meeting. Photo: Sam Tsang

“People see youngsters manifesting certain improper behaviours and they think there’s something wrong with the education system, but I can certainly say that they’re not taught to do these things,” Yeung said.

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