Even Kindergarteners... Hong Kong Strengthens National Security Law Education

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The Hong Kong education sector has stepped up efforts to strengthen education on the National Security Law (Hong Kong National Security Law). The Hong Kong National Security Law allows for the maximum penalty of life imprisonment for four crimes: secession, subversion of state power, terrorist activities, and collusion with foreign forces.

According to Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK on the 14th, the Hong Kong Education Bureau announced the day before that it will distribute textbooks on the Hong Kong National Security Law, written by Chinese scholars, to kindergartens.

The Education Bureau announced that it will distribute seven copies of reference materials related to the Hong Kong National Security Law to each kindergarten within this month.

The textbooks were authored by Chinese legal scholars, including Professor Wang Zhenmin of Tsinghua University, former head of the Legal Affairs Department of the Hong Kong Liaison Office of the Chinese government.

The Education Bureau stated, "These books were specially selected by Chinese Minister of Education Chen Baosheng for Hong Kong schools," and added, "We believe they will greatly help teachers accurately understand and implement national security education."

The Hong Kong government stated that children will understand the nation and Chinese culture and cultivate national identity through these textbooks. The Education Bureau emphasized, "Children must understand that Hong Kong is part of China."

In February, the Hong Kong Education Bureau issued guidelines to frontline schools to teach children as young as six years old about the four offenses that violate the Hong Kong National Security Law. In April, it issued national security education guidelines for eight subjects.

The content of the high school current affairs and general education subject, which the pro-China camp pointed to as the reason for the large participation of students in the 2019 anti-government protests, has been completely revised.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.