Hong Kong government has sent out notices to schools on Thursday, that requires educators to teach students as young as six about colluding with foreign forces and subversion.
Guidelines sent out by the mainland's ruling Communist Party read, “National security is of great importance. Teachers should not treat it as if it is a controversial issue for discussion as usual,” Reuters reported. As per the guidelines, teachers should “clearly point out that safeguarding national security is the responsibility of all nationals and that as far as national security is concerned, there is no room for debate or compromise”.
The move is the latest step by Beijing to clampdown a pro-democracy movement in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong. The protests against China's extradition laws that snowballed into a pro-democracy movement in 2019, had teenagers and several college students as protestors. After passing the national security law in July 2020, in November 2020, Joshua Wong, leader or Demosisto political party and two other pro-democracy activists— Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam were arrested on charges of starting protests outside a police station in 2019.
After the national security law was passed, Hong Kongers have been fearing a shift toward China-style "patriotic education," as Beijing has previously attempted.
Students in secondary school, besides learning the Chinese national anthem will learn and understand what are offences that can lead sentences of up to life in prison. A video in line with the new curriculum released by the government features an owl wearing glasses and a graduation hat explaining the national security law.
