Hong Kong’s No 2 official calls for soft approach to instil patriotism among students
- Chief Secretary Eric Chan says authorities and schools can use film culture, mega sports events and exchanges such as visits to aerospace facilities to carry out national education
- ‘Patriotism is not about rote memorisation,’ Chan adds while rejecting calls for enacting local legislation on national education
Hong Kong’s No 2 official has called for a soft approach to fostering patriotism among students by embracing film culture, mega sports events and exchanges such as visits to aerospace facilities.
Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said on Monday that the government had no plans to introduce new legislation to enforce patriotic education, unlike mainland China which imposed a dedicated law in October last year.
“Patriotism is not about rote memorisation,” Chan said while addressing the press after the first meeting of a newly established high-level working group.
“Understanding [the country] is the first step, and the ultimate goal is to achieve emotional connection, genuine acknowledgement of the country, a sense of pride for the nation with a conscious effort to love and safeguard the country.
“A hard-selling approach is not the way to go.”
Chan said the new Working Group on Patriotic Education, led by him, had a mandate to “make patriotism with affection to our country and Hong Kong a mainstream core value in Hong Kong”.