Opinion | The national anthem law is about respect, and Hong Kong schools are already teaching that
- Kerry Kennedy says existing guidelines on music education in Hong Kong emphasise respect for the Chinese and other national anthems. At the same time, a school’s role is to educate, and neither to indoctrinate nor police students
Amid the current hype around the new law, it is important to be aware of how educators have been dealing with the issue over the years and how they will continue to deal with it once the legislation is enacted.
In the first place, there is an expectation expressed in the guide that students will become familiar with the national anthem through activities. These can include singing it during school assemblies, thus helping to “cultivate a singing culture in school”. Students and teachers are also encouraged to sing other songs together during music activities, as part of the culture-building process. In addition, it is recommended that students participate in flag raising ceremonies and sing the national anthem “to instil a sense of belonging to the nation and society”.
The formal music curriculum also provides activities to familiarise students with the national anthem. It draws up suggested lesson plans for secondary school students to compare the Chinese and Australian anthems, for example.
The learning objectives of these lesson plans include to “sing in unison with technical accuracy” and “describe music of different styles/cultures in relation to its contexts”. The suggested activities are related to creating, performing and listening to music associated with the two anthems. Importantly, the learning involved is not confined to music and its techniques. Students are also expected to develop skills and values such as creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and “national awareness”.
