Hong Kong leader vows to push ‘patriotic education’ in city’s schools to stop children being misled
- Chief Executive Carrie Lam says undermining of national identity among young has led to serious consequences
- Move backed by senior Beijing official who says children educated in Hong Kong must not be individuals who have a ‘Chinese face but not a Chinese heart’
Hong Kong’s leader has vowed to “boldly push ahead” with patriotic education, which she called an important policy the city has failed to implement even after its return to Chinese rule, to rectify the moral values of the younger generation.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s pledge at Saturday’s high-profile forum on patriotic education was backed by Tan Tie-niu, deputy director of Beijing’s liaison office in the city, who said it was strange that some local youth opposed their country and slandered their own race.
Tan spelt out several directions for future national education, which surrounds the national identity of the youth, patriotism and their understanding on Chinese history and culture, as well as national security.
Lam urged those in the education sector and parents to attach importance to promoting patriotic education.
“Loving one’s home country is entirely justified, and treason should never be tolerated,” she said. “In the past, national education had been stigmatised by certain groups of people with ulterior motives and in the media, which had undermined students’ sense of national identity and led to serious consequences.”
