Flag-raising rules at Hong Kong schools not intended to make pupils ‘suffer’, but to foster national pride, education chief says
- Secretary for Education Christine Choi also says ‘room for improvement’ in how schools oversee patriotic activities, despite many institutions being ‘very professional’
- Remarks from minister follow three-day suspension of 14 students at St Francis Xavier’s School last month for failing to attend flag-raising ceremony
Hong Kong’s education minister has defended government rules for flag-raising ceremonies at schools, saying the measures were not intended to make pupils “suffer” but to instil a sense of identity and pride.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin on Sunday also conceded that some schools might not have understood the government’s intention when the institutions enacted the curriculum changes.
“I believe our schools, teachers, and teaching force are very professional. But of course, there may be some individual cases that may not be handled perfectly in the execution [of the measures] and there is room for improvement,” she told a television programme.
The minister was referring to the three-day suspension of 14 students at St Francis Xavier’s School last month when the group failed to attend a flag-raising ceremony during a morning assembly.
Last year, the Education Bureau announced that schools would be required to hold a flag-raising ceremony once a week, with all staff and students required to attend and sing the national anthem.
In response to public backlash and accusations of a disproportionate response by the school, the institution appointed a five-member independent committee to look into the incident and release a report by next January.
“The aim of our measures is to support schools. If schools can make good use of them, [the measures] should help schools achieve the goals, not mess things up,” Choi said.
