Hong Kong
No room for 'debate or compromise': Hong Kong now launches national security rules for schools
Months after China imposed a new national security law which gave wide-ranging powers to crack down on vaguely defined political crimes to authorities, Hong Kong has now introduced new restrictions for how schools operate, media reports said.
For years, parents and students in the semi-autonomous city have feared a shift toward China-style "patriotic education," with a previous attempt to introduce such a curriculum defeated by mass protests in 2012. The new rules, coming in the wake of both the new security law and a crackdown on the city's opposition movement, go far beyond what was previously mooted, reports CNN.
In a circular issued to schools Thursday, the city's Education Bureau (EDB) said that "as far as national security is concerned, there is no room for debate or compromise", the news channel reported.
Ip Kin-yuen, a former lawmaker and vice chairman of the Professional Teachers' Union has targeted the government for not consulting the teachers and parents before unveiling the new policies.
"There is a lot of sensitivity and unpredictability when it comes to national security law education," he said. "It will bring about huge pressure and anxiety among principals and teachers," Ip Kin-yuen was quoted as saying by CNN.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
