Lawmaker-elect Ip Kin-yuen has urged a more comprehensive consultation for the revision of the secondary school Chinese history curriculum.
Ip, re-elected to the Education functional constituency, agreed that the revision of the current curriculum for secondary school Chinese history was necessary.
However, he said that this was a major curriculum revision “that involves amendment of the goal, ideals, and structure of the course.” He therefore suggested the extension of the consultation period from one month to three months in order to allow frontline teachers more time to discuss and pore over the revisions in depth.
Ip also suggested an anonymous questionnaire in addition to the existing one, for frontline teachers to better reflect their concerns. According to Ip, the existing questionnaire targeted only the principal and the head of Chinese history department of the school. It also required the personal details of participants along with the name of the school in which they were teaching.
Teacher’s briefing
A teacher who attended the Education Bureau’s consultation briefing on Thursday said that the revisions had a tendency to praise the unification and cohesion of China, and only mentioned briefly the history of China’s insurrections and the country’s downfall, according to Ming Pao.
Although a section on Hong Kong history was added to the curriculum, the Reform and Opening up of China was still the centerpiece of the revision. Ming Pao quoted another teacher who said that “the section on Hong Kong history has turned into a complement to the greater Chinese history. This is not the history of Hongkongers.”
Ming Pao also reported that some teachers had voiced doubts as to whether there was a political agenda behind the revisions.
Secretary for Education Eddie Ng Hak-kim said on Wednesday that the addition of Hong Kong history to the curriculum “would increase students’ sense of belonging towards China and in society.”
