Chinese emblem must fly higher than all others under new flag-raising guidelines for Hong Kong international schools
- Education Bureau to encourage daily and weekly flag-raising ceremonies among city’s institutions offering non-local curriculums
- Ceremonies will help international students to ‘understand the culture and history of the country in which they live’
International schools in Hong Kong will have to raise the Chinese national emblem higher than any other country’s symbol during flag-raising ceremonies, education authorities have said.
At the Legislative Council on Friday, the Education Bureau also said the national flag would have to be placed in the centre of any others raised.
Deputy Secretary for Education Teresa Chan Mo-ngan said during a bills committee meeting on amendments to national flag and anthem legislation that the bureau had a responsibility to issue guidelines to all schools regarding daily or weekly ceremonies.
“If international schools want to display the national flags of other countries, they must also raise the national flag of the People’s Republic of China at the same time,” she added. “The Chinese flag must be placed in a higher or prominent position in the centre.”
International schools offering non-local curriculums would be encouraged to have ceremonies, the bureau said.
According to Chan, the ceremonies would “help students of different nationalities and races to understand the culture and history of the country in which they live”.