The Hong Kong Security Law has been extremely controversial in Hong Kong and in the international community. One of the clauses in the Security Law requires the Hong Kong government to carry out a “national campaign to promote national security education.” In fact, Beijing has already been implementing “patriotic” brainwashing education in Hong Kong for years. The public records show that, as early as 2005, the mainland sent educators to Hong Kong to provide teaching guidance under the project called the “Mainland and Hong Kong Teacher Exchange and Collaboration Program,” The Hong Kong Education Development Fund financed the program. Each provincial capital in the mainland will take turns to send teachers to Hong Kong.
A recent notice that the Hunan Provincial Department of Education issued showed that teachers from local primary and secondary schools as well as kindergartens will be selected to go to Hong Kong and Macao for a one-year assignment of teaching and guidance on the condition that they have a firm political position, support the “one country, two systems ” policy, and love the country. According to the notice, during their stay in Hong Kong and Macau, the Hong Kong Education Bureau and the Macau Education and Youth Bureau will provide a living allowance and teaching and research fees of no less than 30,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$ 3,870) per month and will help with accommodation arrangements or provide rent subsidies. Their specific work will include “assisting” Hong Kong’s primary and secondary schools to “promote school-based curriculum development” and collaborate with teachers from Hong Kong kindergartens, and primary and secondary schools on “teaching research.” After this news came out, the link to the relevant report of the Hunan Provincial Department of Education was deleted.
In May 2019, the Hainan Provincial Department of Education issued a similar notice. The notice required that the teaching candidate must “have a firm political position and support the central administration’s policies and policies concerning the work of Hong Kong and Macao; and must be members of the CCP.”
In 2015 and 2016, the Shanxi Provincial Department of Education sent their teachers to Hong Kong. The candidates’ selection requirements were the same. They placed “possessing high ideological consciousness” at the top. They also stated that the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will provide a monthly living allowance and teaching and research expenses of about 20,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$2,580) per month.
Beijing has always believed that the main reason that Hong Kong youths have continued to persevere and have resisted the mainland for many years is due to a lack of “patriotic education” and a “low communist ideology consciousness.” Therefore it has been trying to “reform” and influence the Hong Kong education system.
In 2012, Beijing led the Hong Kong government to launch a national education plan, distributing a booklet on the “China Model” to all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. The booklet praised China’s national conditions and called the Chinese government a “progressive, selfless and united ruling party.” It also described the American democratic system as a system in which political parties battle with each other and people’s livelihoods suffer as a result of it. The campaign drew criticism from all parties as being a brainwashing tool. In the end, this caused the rest of the planned courses to be suspended.
Source: Epoch Times, May 25, 2020
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/20/5/25/n12135946.htm