Parents should protest the introduction of national education

It's the start of the new school year, with all the usual parental duties that brings. But this year, some parents have an additional task. They are heeding the call of Eva Chan Sik-chee, a co-founder of the Parents Concern Group on National Education, to write letters opposing the early introduction of national education in schools.

Under the "One Person, One Letter" campaign, parents are asked to inquire if their children's schools will implement the Moral and National Education Curriculum this school year; or, if not, when they will be introducing it and what teaching methods and materials they will use.

There is also a sample parent consent form, requesting the school to allow the child to go to the school library during the Moral and National Education lesson.

Making special arrangements for schoolchildren with parental consent is not new. Paragraph 158 of the newly published combined third and fourth reports of the People's Republic of China under the Convention on the Rights of the Child - Part Two: Hong Kong SAR, was submitted to the UN. It states: "Children may withdraw from religious education in school with the consent of their parents.

"Conversely, parents may request schools to provide the opportunity for their children to observe religious rituals or to form religious base groups as appropriate."

But it doesn't make clear if any mechanism has been set up to ensure that children are not discriminated against if they decide to opt out. The same now goes for national education, which is just one of many issues in Hong Kong where the views of children are rarely consulted.

The 1.1 million children below the age of 18 here rarely have a say on matters around them.