- Education Bureau’s curriculum development officer says the idea is to nurture students with a sense of country, affection for Chinese people
- Schools council head expresses concern that the curriculum is too cumbersome, says teachers might have to read out materials to classes
Hong Kong’s primary school pupils will be taught to love the nation and learn that “without a country, there is no family” from the 2025-26 academic year. Photo: BloombergThe Education Bureau has announced a new mandatory subject for primary school pupils in a move that is designed to promote patriotism. The subject will teach students about the nation’s achievements under the Chinese Communist Party.
Officials on Thursday said Primary One pupils would be taught to love the nation and learn that “without a country, there is no family” from the 2025-26 academic year.
But the head of a schools council said members were worried the curriculum was too cumbersome and that teachers might have to read out the materials to classes.
He added that pupils might not have the time to absorb the new knowledge.
The new “humanities” curriculum, alongside a new science course, will replace general studies in primary schools and puts significant focus on patriotic education.
“The subject is enriched with elements of Chinese culture, history and geography, and aims to nurture students with a sense of country, affection for the Chinese people, and a sense of national identity, in a bid to implement education on patriotism,” said Paul Lee Kin-wan, the bureau’s chief curriculum development officer.
He added the new subject was largely based on general studies, and that “national education” was not new to schools.
Lee said the humanities curriculum also included sex education, financial affairs, economics and green living.
Hong Kong to introduce humanities course that emphasises patriotic education
Science topics that were part of general studies would get a new subject, to be launched alongside the humanities course. The bureau said it was considering having no written tests for Primary One and Two pupils to help stimulate an interest in science.
The curriculum framework was released after Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in last month’s policy address that the new subject would replace general studies, launched in 1996.
The old subject will be replaced from September 2025, and those teaching humanities and science will have to attend training sessions, with 4,000 places available every year.
The new subjects were the government’s response to a patriotic education law passed last month by the nation’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee.
The legislation established the content, goals, guiding principles and leadership mechanism for patriotic education, as well as the responsibilities of the departments involved.
The draft curriculum framework said Primary One pupils should be taught that they were Chinese and should respect and love their country.
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It said they would also learn that the national and Hong Kong flags and emblems should not be mutilated or defaced.
Primary Two pupils will be taught that Hong Kong has been an inalienable part of China from ancient times.
Youngsters at Primary Three level will be expected to learn about national security legislation and its importance and how the People’s Liberation Army can participate in the city’s charitable activities in addition to its defence role.
Primary Five pupils should know that former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping was the architect of China’s reform and opening-up.
They will also learn about Hong Kong’s role in the Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as gain an understanding of the importance of homeland and cultural security.
The bay area scheme is Beijing’s plan to make Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland Chinese cities into an integrated economic powerhouse.
Pupils in Primary Six will have to learn about the achievements and the latest developments under the Communist Party, such as the alleviation of poverty and advances in aerospace technology.
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They should also learn about the reasons behind President Xi Jinping’s 2022 quote that “a nation will prosper only when its young people thrive”.
The older children will also be expected to grasp how the national security law was enacted and that the city had a responsibility to safeguard national security.
They will also have to acquire knowledge about the enforcement agencies.
Primary One to Two pupils will have two lessons a week and older students will have two to three.
Some teachers in 2019 and 2020 were accused of promoting their personal political views against the city government and Beijing, and of the use of “biased” teaching materials in breach of the Basic Law.
Several were later struck off the teaching register.
Lee said he believed teachers in Hong Kong were now professional and that schools would be held accountable for their production of teaching materials.
So Ping-fai, the acting chairman of the Subsidised Primary Schools Council, said the sector was disappointed by the “cumbersome” curriculum draft.
“The education authorities have taken out all the science components in general studies to create a new subject and added all the national education and national security law elements to launch another subject called humanities, without adding any lesson time for schools,” So, a school principal, said.
“It is not good for students as we want them to explore and experience. Why did the education officials not condense the topics by means of this subject revamp or at least delete some repetitive topics?”
Hong Kong teachers express concerns over new primary science subject
“We worry that pupils will only be able to get a superficial understanding of the topics and that they might easily forget what has been read out by teachers.”
The two new subjects are expected to account for at least 14 per cent of teaching hours, compared with 11 per cent for general studies.
Schools originally could designate no more than 25 per cent of lesson time as flexible hours and most schools turned afternoon classes into activities.
But So said schools would have no choice but to devote at least one afternoon session every week to academic lessons to fulfil the new requirements, which might not be welcomed by some institutions and pupils.