Bad penny ("National Education")

The South China Morning Post reported on 26 January 2012 that plans for a “national education” have been shelved for a few more years,  until 2015. The government of Hong Kong then announced in April 2012 that National Education would be introduced as a curriculum subject in both primary and secondary schools in September of the same year. It is to become compulsory in primary schools in September 2015 and in secondary schools in 2016.

Furore erupted in Hong Kong in the first week of July 2012, when the National Education Services Centre and National Education Centre, both led by Yeung Yiu-chung, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress and an educator, published a 34-page education booklet in which one-party rule was praised. The material also said multi-party politics could 'victimise' people while concentrated political power could create 'selfless' government that brought stability. The booklet was commissioned by Donald Tsang, in an apparent response to remarks by Hu Jintao in 2007, when he stressed the importance of young people possessing a better understanding of China's development and identity.

The new Government under C.Y. Leung was put on the defensive when it was revealed that it had granted at least HK$72 million (US$9.2 million) over six years to the two companies to produce these "biased national education materials". One teacher said 33 of the 34-page booklet are full of praise about China and only one page covers sensitive topics such as the contaminated milk powder scandal. The publishers countered that such a viewpoint was to be expected for a booklet discussing the "China Model" concept – which holds that each country faces a unique set of problems which therefore require unique solutions. They argued opposition to it amounted to censorship. After initially declaring the material "problematic", Education minister Eddie Ng later said that there were problems with only "a few pages" of the material, Ng insisted that the controversial program would go ahead; curriculum elements would be reviewed after implementation. He referred critics of the NE plan to the objectives declared by the government.

According to the Executive Summary of the Moral and National Education Curriculum Guide on the Education Bureau website, curriculum aims are:

"... cultivating students’ positive values and attitudes through a continuous and systematic learning experience. It enables students to acquire desirable moral and national qualities, enriching their life and facilitating their identity-building in the domains of family, society, the country and the world ...emphasises the development of students’ independent thinking and autonomy so that they are able to distinguish right from wrong, and make informed decisions in a caring and reasonable manner."

In particular, as part of the declared overall learning objective for the National domain:

"...  to help students enhance their national identity, understand their roles, rights and responsibilities as nationals, foster a sense of affection for the country, actively learn about the national situation and explore the opportunities and challenges of the country’s development, such as achievements, difficulties, constraints and directions for improvement. It also helps students enhance national qualities such as the ability to distinguish right from wrong and to think independently. It encourages them to stay closely connected with the motherland, stand together in adversity, and contribute to the development and betterment of the country and its people."

Li Wangyang (1950–2012)

While the stated aims appear liberal and could  foster a sense of belonging in Hong Kong people, the timing of publication of the booklet, and its contents, touch upon a very raw nerve in light of the manner in which C.Y. Leung came to power, as well as the death of mainland dissident Li Wangyang. It highlights the scepticism of Hongkongers toward the national body politic. Religious groups that run schools expressed their reservations about the content and implementation time-frame; Groups representing teachers and students accused the government of having an agenda of brainwashing citizens, The inevitable backlash will arise as citizens, instead of feeling closer to the motherland, will feel like they have no choice but to receive indoctrination.

For me, the  one elephant in the room is the conflict in the value system that Hongkongers are expected to embrace or otherwise resolve. Under British rule, and also supposedly guaranteed by the Basic Law,  transparency, freedom and respect for the individual are among our society's core values. On the other hand, the leaders of the PRC appear to value economic development under "Socialism with Chinese characteristics", which has yet to be properly and officially defined, and "social and political stability". Both of these "values" are viewed suspiciously as means of perpetuating the endemic corruption and control by the Communist Party of China. Without a confluence of the value sets of Hong Kong and its motherland, Hong Kong's National Education curriculum would be forced to focus on the only "common value" of crass nationalism which unites activists from the mainland, Taiwan and even ultra-leftists in Hong Kong like "Long-hair". This is particularly undesirable in light of China's global ambitions – witness recent territorial disputes in the South China Sea – and may lead to further escalation of tensions in the region.

Further reading:
Winnie Chong (29 June 2012) "Question of identity" The Standard