Education minister denies changes to liberal studies are bid to push national education in Hong Kong schools
- Under the planned overhaul, two-thirds of modules will focus on mainland China, while topics such as personal development and interpersonal relationships will be removed
- Content on national security, lawfulness and patriotism set to be expanded
Hong Kong’s education minister has dismissed claims that reforms to liberal studies are an attempt to push national education, saying the overhaul is aimed at cultivating an understanding of mainland China.
However, the city’s largest teachers’ union said on Thursday the education sector was angry with the Education Bureau for ignoring the opinion of educators on the changes to the programme and expressed concern they would turn liberal studies into “brainwash-style civic education”.
According to Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, the revamped curriculum for secondary schools will cover issues related to Hong Kong, the mainland and the world in a bid to bolster understanding of the nation.
“We hope that students will have [a better grasp] of Hong Kong, national concepts and global issues,” he said.
Students should recognise the city’s role in the development of China because it would be important to their future, he added.
