Pro-Beijing politicians rail against liberal studies, the Hong Kong school subject that ‘politicises teens’
- A review of the city’s curriculum recommended liberal studies remain compulsory
- That did not please pro-Beijing politicians, who say it is to blame for recent clashes between police and extradition bill protesters
The decision to keep liberal studies compulsory for all upper secondary school pupils has drawn the ire of pro-establishment politicians, who blame the subject for politicising young people, including encouraging them to participate in the recent extradition bill protests.
There were suggestions the hotly debated subject was on the chopping block last year, but it survived and should remain a mandatory subject on the Diploma of Secondary Education exam, according to the recommendation of a government-tasked panel reviewing the city’s curriculum.
Nine pro-establishment legislators issued a statement on Friday saying they were “extremely disappointed” with the task force’s recommendations that liberal studies not be abolished or made optional. They said there had been strong support for making it an elective.
One of the nine, Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong lawmaker Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, said the current liberal studies curriculum in secondary schools was to blame for recent violent clashes between the police and young protesters decrying the government’s now-suspended extradition legislation.
She said the youngsters’ actions had “aroused widespread concern among the public”.
Leung said students might make biased political judgments on social controversies if they are taught by biased teachers in liberal studies, because the subject lacks specified topics and contents, something the legislators also upbraided the task force for not rectifying.
“We believe that the content taught and tested should be recognised by society widely, and not allow teachers to have the opportunities to propagate biased claims in classes,” the statement read.
The subject has long been controversial. Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, formerly the city’s sole representative on the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the nation’s top legislative body, previously blamed anti-Communist Party Hong Kong teachers for stoking dissent among youngsters.
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But veteran liberal studies teacher Kwan Chin-ki dismissed the claims.
“You will notice lower-secondary students, who have not taken the subject, taking to the streets too. And there is more than one reason for people participating in the protests,” he said.
“To attribute all this to liberal studies is a subjective and simplistic view.”
Kwan, head of liberal studies at Tung Chung Catholic School, said most educators had enough professional judgment to avoid passing their biases to students.
Ip Kin-yuen, who represents the education sector in the legislature, said there was no research showing liberal studies made students more radical.
He added that it was the handling of the extradition bill – on which the government only allowed a 20-day consultation – which made residents concerned about the matter, sparking the protests.
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Introduced in 1992 before gradually becoming a compulsory subject, liberal studies is intended to cultivate critical thinking and positive values, according to Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung.
The subject covers six modules: personal development and interpersonal relationships; Hong Kong today; modern China; globalisation; public health; and energy, technology and the environment.
Yeung said the government was willing to listen to different opinions, including those of lawmakers, on the subject’s future.
While liberal studies is safe for now, all eyes will be on the task force’s final report at the end of the year, after a public consultation on the group’s recommendations, set to run until September 16.
Additional reporting by Su Xinqi
