Hong Kong secondary school religion classes to include responsibility to country, media analysis

Junior secondary pupils to be taught about responsibility to country, media objectivity and environment under new 217-page curriculum

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Junior secondary schoolchildren are to get responsibility to country and media analysis added to the religious studies curriculum. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 10:33pm, 17 Aug 2024

Junior secondary school pupils in Hong Kong religious education classes will be taught about their responsibilities to the country, how to assess the objectivity of the media and environmental protection as part of an updated curriculum.

The new curriculum has expanded learning objectives and pupils will be expected to be committed to “making the world better” and to aim for “happiness for others with harmony in diversity”.

Teachers are also asked to provide opportunities to foster “priority values” including respect for others, responsibility, national identity, integrity, care for others and abiding by the law, in line with the bureau’s value education framework first released in 2021.

The Education Bureau on Friday released the 217-page guide for studies in Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam and Taoism for Form One to Three pupils after consultations with schools last year.

It will replace the previous 72-page document published 25 years ago.

An addition to the studies for all faiths is “learning from religion”, which will use “daily life scenarios” and “draw wisdom from religious teachings” to nurture effective learning to “maintain the vitality of religious education”.