Hong Kong schoolchildren will start learning about the national security law from the age of eight or nine, the Education Bureau has announced as it unveiled a new humanities curriculum to be tested out in the next school year.
The new subject, which will replace the current General Studies, would require primary three pupils to have a basic knowledge of the Beijing-enacted security legislation, the Hong Kong People’s Liberation Army garrison and national defence, the bureau announced on Thursday, local media reported.
It would include six units, namely “Health and Living,” “Environment and Living,” “Financial Education and Economics,” “Community and Citizenship,” “Our Country and I,” and “The World and I,” the bureau wrote in a circular published on Thursday.
The rationale was to “cultivate values for leaders of tomorrow,” the bureau wrote. It also aimed to help students explore issues from various perspectives and care for the development of society.
National sentiment
Students will study topics including the city’s social development, Chinese culture and significant historical events, China’s achievements and the linkage between the country and the world, the circular said.
“The enrichment aims to keep pace with the times and systematically cultivate students’ sense of belonging to our country, national sentiments and sense of national identity from an early age for the implementation of Patriotic Education,” the bureau wrote.
The syllabus framework outlined on Thursday would strengthen students’ patriotism and understanding of China, which could further promote humanities education, national and national security education.
Chief Curriculum Development Officer (Kindergarten & Primary) Paul Lee Kin-wan told the media on Thursday that a majority of the new humanities curriculum was based on the existing General Studies subject. It was not new for the primary school curriculum to include national education, he said, while the Education Bureau also assisted schools in promoting national education and national security education.
Patriotic education
The humanities curriculum outline was unveiled around a month after Chief Executive John Lee announced the splitting of General Studies into a humanities subject and a science subject in his second policy address in late October.
Primary schools in Hong Kong may pilot the new humanities syllabus in the 2024/25 academic year at the earliest. The new subject will be implemented in all primary one and primary four classes in 2025/26 and will be extended to primary two and primary five in 2026/27. It will be fully rolled out across all grades in 2027/28.
Lee last month also announced patriotic education initiatives to enhance national identity and appreciation of traditional Chinese culture among Hong Kong people. A Working Group on Patriotic Education would be set up under the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee, led by the chief secretary for administration.
The initiatives included implementing a Humanities Curriculum Framework for primary schools to ensure more cultural immersion activities and national security education. The Education Bureau would also oversee a “Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country 2.0” series of inter-school activities.
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