Hong Kong national security law: Catholic Church tells its schools in city no room for any ‘one-sided political message’ in classroom

Name: What you should know about China's new national security law for Hong Kong
Uploaded: 2020-08-07T03:09:19.000Z
Duration: 5 min 50 s
Description: What you should know about China's new national security law for Hong Kong

City’s diocese sends letter to nearly 200 primary and secondary schools urging ‘correct understanding’ of new national security law

Source says letter is more of a reminder than a mandatory directive on teaching methods

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Students and alumni form a human chain outside Ng Wah Catholic Secondary School, in San Po Kong in September last year. Photo: Tory Ho

Chan Ho-him

Published: 11:09am, 7 Aug 2020Updated: 11:23pm, 7 Aug 2020

The Catholic Church has told its nearly 200 schools in Hong Kong to promote a “correct understanding” of the national security and anthem laws, as well as enhance their students’ sense of national identity.

In a letter to heads and supervisors of the primary and secondary schools, the city’s diocese also said no one should “spread any one-sided political message” on campus, while school management should monitor teachers’ choice of teaching materials, homework and books for students.

The letter, which was sent ahead of the beginning of the new academic year in September, was in response to an earlier letter issued by the Education Bureau last month which contained a similar message.

About 190 of the city’s primary and secondary schools have a Catholic background, according to official figures of the diocese. They are either directly run by the church, or by sponsoring bodies such as Caritas and the Canossian Daughters of Charity.

05:50

What you should know about China's new national security law for Hong Kong

“Schools should be protected from being politicised, and no one should spread any one-sided political message, or express their political stance or demands on campus,” Peter Lau Chiu-yin, the episcopal delegate for education, said in the letter, which was sent out on Tuesday.