70 secondary schools include national education plans in annual pitches to parents in Hong Kong
- The institutions explain how they will foster an understanding of national security and love for the country, as the government now requires schools to do
- But listing the information was optional and nearly 380 schools chose not to provide details on how they would carry out the new responsibility
The schools included their strategy in addressing the topic in the profiles they made available to parents on Monday to help them decide where to send their children in the coming academic year. The profiles of 446 schools were gathered into booklets and published by the government-appointed Committee on Home-School Co-operation.
Some 70 schools highlighted their visions, work or achievements concerning national security, education and identity, which educators said were regarded as taboo topics before the imposition of the national security law in June of last year and the city’s election overhaul.
One principal, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, noted more schools were laying out their national education programmes in this year’s profiles.
“Perhaps national education is no longer taboo compared to the past,” she said, but added she did not offer a description as doing so was not required by the profile publisher.
The government was forced to shelve a plan to teach national education as an independent subject in 2012 after demonstrators, including students, teachers and parents, protested against the plan at government headquarters for 10 days.
Schools and universities are required to promote national security education under the new law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong that outlaws secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.
