[Global Times Depth] What are the next steps for Hong Kong's national security education?
[Global Times reporter Ye Lan and Zhang Xueting] The 15th is the second "National Security Education Day" after the official implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong.
Due to the epidemic, the relevant activities of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government this year are mainly held online.
In the past two years, national security education in Hong Kong has attracted much attention.
In addition to dealing with unethical teachers and students participating in "black violence" activities in accordance with the law, how to make teachers and students pay more attention to the national security law and enhance their sense of national identity is also the focus of Hong Kong's education sector.
This year's theme: "National Security, Protect My Homeland"
On July 1, 2015, the 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Twelfth National People's Congress passed the "National Security Law of the People's Republic of China", and designated April 15 each year as the "National Security Education Day".
Article 3 of the Hong Kong National Security Law promulgated and implemented on June 30, 2020 stipulates that "the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has the constitutional responsibility to safeguard national security and shall perform the duty to safeguard national security"; while Article 10 stipulates, " The Hong Kong SAR should carry out national security education to enhance the national security awareness and law-abiding awareness of Hong Kong residents."
This year is the second "National Security Education Day" in Hong Kong after the implementation of the National Security Law, and related activities have attracted much attention.
On April 14, the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region issued a press release stating that this year is the second time that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has held the National Security Education Day for the People. It will create a strong atmosphere for safeguarding national security, enhance the ability to prevent and resist security risks, and at the same time deepen the public's understanding of the national constitution, the Basic Law and the Hong Kong National Security Law, so as to cultivate a stronger national identity.
The press release stated that due to the epidemic, the publicity and promotion activities on April 15 were mainly held online, including the launch of a 5-minute "National Security Education Day for All" special program and a national security book with the theme of space security. Educational children's picture book.
The picture book is available in Chinese, English and various minority languages, and an electronic version is available for online reading and download.
In terms of media, through RTHK, Hong Kong citizens can receive a series of national security education information on TV and social platforms, including the "National Security General Information" jointly developed by RTHK, the Youth Education Center and the Shande Foundation.
Launched in the fourth quarter of last year, the project covers multiple security areas in the form of short videos, which are intensively broadcast on TV.
On the 15th, RTHK will broadcast a special program produced by the Hong Kong government in the morning, afternoon and evening, and jointly promote it with Yau Tsim Mong Home Affairs Department, Yau Tsim Mong "One Country, Two Systems" Committee and other organizations, at 9:30 that night. Broadcast the online interactive game of "Network Security Secret Cases" micro-movie.
In addition, the "20 Questions for Diplomacy" voice messages launched by Radio Television Hong Kong and the Commissioner's Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, including national security education content, began broadcasting in early April.
According to Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily website, the Education Bureau and the Security Bureau jointly organized the "2022 National Security Participation Plan" this year, including the "National Security Slogan Creation and Poster Design Competition" and the "National Security Online Quiz Competition".
The Education Bureau recommends that schools hold appropriate learning activities around the National Security Education Day to demonstrate that national security is closely related to daily life, and to cultivate the awareness of teachers and students to jointly safeguard national security.
In addition, the Education Bureau has also organized a number of activities, such as the interactive quiz game of "Little State Experts", which allows students to have fun at home; Students are introduced to the definition of national security, the different areas of national security and their importance.
Some schools will also carry out more intensive National Security Education Day activities after classes resume.
Du Jiaqing, chairman of the Moral and National Education Teachers' Association, said that with Hong Kong's anti-epidemic background, some schools have introduced the theme of "biosecurity" in national security, including allowing students to understand the interaction between living things and living things and the environment, and understand the causes of infectious diseases and communication channels, understand the importance of sustainable development, agree with the necessity of maintaining ecological security and resource security, and at the same time do our civic duty to jointly safeguard national security.
The association has basically completed several sets of model syllabuses, which are expected to be distributed to all schools in Hong Kong from the middle of this month for reference after the resumption of classes.
Add Basic Law Tests for Teachers
Education issues are considered to be one of the major reasons for the illegal "Occupy Central" and "revision turmoil" in Hong Kong, and the responsibility of some unethical teachers is indispensable.
After the Hong Kong National Security Law was passed, the SAR government launched a series of patriotic education measures related to national security.
Hong Kong Education Bureau Secretary Yang Runxiong said in early April that schools generally agree with the model of comprehensively promoting national education, and the Education Bureau has also continued to arrange training activities for teachers in different models, such as the Constitution and Basic Law. Contents related to the Constitution, the Basic Law and the Hong Kong National Security Law have been added to the core training courses for teachers, in-service teachers and teachers to be promoted.
During the "Amendment Disturbance", some violent teachers behaved badly. Zhendao College teacher Dai Jianhui openly cursed the children of the police, and Lai Dezhong, a general education teacher at Sacred Heart College Canossian, posted hate speech against the police on social networking sites.
Many citizens initiated a joint signature, demanding that the school immediately dismiss these people from their chairs.
Yang Runxiong, director of the Education Bureau, said on the 12th that from January 2019 to December 2021, the Education Bureau received a total of 445 complaints about teachers' suspected violation of professional ethics, of which 344 were related to the "revision storm", of which 311 were cases. The investigation was completed and 189 complaints were established. A total of 6 teachers were disqualified from registration, and 3 of them were sentenced to imprisonment for their participation in the "revision disturbance".
The remaining teachers will receive reprimands or written warnings according to the severity. If they commit unethical behavior again, the Education Bureau will consider canceling their teacher registration.
Yang Runxiong said that according to Hong Kong's "Education Ordinance", once a teacher's registration is cancelled, he cannot teach in the school or enter the school.
He emphasized that for teachers who have seriously violated morality, the bureau will adhere to the practice of "lifetime suspension" to ensure the safety of students.
According to RTHK, the Education Bureau recently announced that the second round of the Basic Law test for newly recruited teachers will be held on May 21.
It is understood that starting from the new school year, Hong Kong teachers must hold a pass in the Basic Law Test before they can be employed by schools as regular teachers.
The Education Bureau has also launched the National Security Education Curriculum Framework for 15 subjects.
For example, the junior high school Chinese history department suggested that teachers should use newspapers, advertisements and other historical materials to let students know that Hong Kong supported the mainland’s war of resistance when telling the story of the Anti-Japanese War. During the period of the People's Republic of China, teachers are advised to teach the evolution of China's foreign policy and guide students to "cherish the political and security environment established by the country today."
The History Division suggested telling about the unfair treatment of Chinese during the British colonial rule of Hong Kong, "to let students understand the importance of safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Previously, the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination had asked candidates to comment on the controversial question that "Japan brought more advantages than disadvantages to China from 1900 to 1945", indicating that a group of people in Hong Kong are playing with fire and blatantly challenging the bottom line of the Chinese people through the college entrance examination.
Develop targeted programs for students involved in violence
Another major target of national security education is students.
On the one hand, it is to strengthen the national security education of school students. On the other hand, the Hong Kong government also pays great attention to the physical and mental training of young people who have participated in violent activities. While repairing family relationships, it also helps them plan for the future.
According to Hong Kong's "01" website, the number of juvenile prisoners in Hong Kong has increased in recent years, from 54 in 2019 to 187 in 2021. Among them, the number of juvenile prisoners who are subject to statutory supervision due to the "revision storm" has increased by 3. to 89 people.
The Hong Kong Correctional Services Department stated that many juvenile prisoners have radical thoughts and behaviors, and hope that they will alleviate this mentality.
The Correctional Services Department evaluates prisoners on a number of "radical ideological characteristics", and formulates suitable projects for each prisoner according to three targeted planning directions, including understanding Chinese history and national education, psychological and value restructuring, life planning and Restoring family relationships.
In February 2021, the Hong Kong Education Bureau issued a circular to all schools in Hong Kong to formulate the "Hong Kong National Security Education Curriculum Framework".
Schools can carry out national security education in various forms in a step-by-step manner in accordance with students’ cognitive abilities at the elementary, elementary, and advanced stages.
In October of the same year, the Education Bureau provided the latest guidelines on the incorporation of the national flag and national emblem into primary and secondary education.
Starting from New Year's Day this year, the national flag will be raised every school day in primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, as well as on New Year's Day, the anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the National Day.
Colleges and universities have also launched national security education.
In September 2021, the University of Education announced that national security law and national security education have been included in the compulsory courses for this academic year, and they are taught in seminars, lectures, etc., among which national security covers a considerable range. In addition to politics and homeland security, it also includes Cultural security, network security and ecological security are closely related to the life of citizens.
According to a report on the Hong Kong Toutiao Daily Network on the 14th, that morning, the Finance Committee of the Hong Kong Legislative Council discussed the promotion of national education, national security education, and media and information literacy education in schools.
Legislative Council member Chen Manqi said that he will actively strive to implement three areas, including the use of big data to analyze the "national conditions data" of school children as a research education effect; digitizing national conditions education, one-stop diversified online communication with schools and governments at all levels in the Greater Bay Area The cooperation between departments and museums allows students to have an in-depth understanding of the historical and cultural development of the Greater Bay Area online in the classroom; additional permanent positions in primary and secondary schools are dedicated to coordinating work such as national security and national conditions education.