Hong Kong to teach children as young as six about subversion, foreign interference

[rooster59]

Hong Kong to teach children as young as six about subversion, foreign interference

By Pak Yiu and Sarah Wu

 

Children play before taking part in a specialized class preparing toddlers for kindergarten interviews in Hong Kong, China May 17, 2015. REUTERS/Bobby Yip/File Photo

 

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong has unveiled controversial guidelines for schools in the Chinese-ruled city that include teaching students as young as six about colluding with foreign forces and subversion as part of a new national security curriculum.

 

Beijing imposed a security law on Hong Kong in June 2020 in response to months of often violent anti-government and anti-China protests in 2019 that put the global financial hub more firmly on an authoritarian path.

 

The Education Bureau's guidelines, released late on Thursday, show that Beijing's plans for the semi-autonomous Hong Kong go beyond quashing dissent, and aim for a societal overhaul to bring its most restive city more in line with the Communist Party-ruled mainland.

 

"National security is of great importance. Teachers should not treat it as if it is a controversial issue for discussion as usual," the guidelines said.

 

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".

 

After the 2019 protests in which many of the demonstrators were teenagers, Chinese leaders turned to re-education in a bid to tame the city's youth and make them loyal citizens.

 

Head of the Professional Teachers' Union, Ip Kin-yuen, said the guidelines would cause "uncertainty, ambiguity and anxiety" for teachers and enforce a "restrictive and suppressive" education style that does not foster student development and independent thinking.

 

Raymond Yeung, a former teacher partially blinded by a projectile during 2019 protests, described the guidelines as "one dimensional, if not brainwashing".

 

Wong, mother of primary school children, said the law was "clamping down on people's individual thoughts" and adding national security to the curricula created a climate of fear.

 

"I am angry. They shouldn't be bringing this into classrooms," said Wong, who declined to give her first name due to the sensitivity of the issue.

 

However, not all parents were opposed to the changes.

 

"It’s a good start, no matter who you are and where are you from, you have to love your country," said Feng, mother of a six-year-old.

 

'WISE OWL'

 

Children in primary schools will learn how to sing and respect China's national anthem, and gain an understanding of the four main offences in the new security law, including terrorism and secessionism.

 

In secondary schools, pupils will learn what constitutes such offences, which can carry sentences of up to life in prison.

 

Some legal scholars have said the law's language is broad and vague, and the range of activities authorities might see as potential threats to national security was unclear and fluid.

 

An educational cartoon video released by the government shows an owl wearing glasses and a graduation hat explaining Hong Kong's institutional architecture, its duties to the central government in Beijing and the national security law.

 

At one point the video says "national security affairs are of utmost importance to the whole country," while showing smiling faces of a student, a chef and an engineer.

 

Schools are encouraged to "organise various game activities, such as puppet theatre, board games ... to establish a good atmosphere and improve students' understanding of national security", according to the guidelines.

 

The guidelines said kindergartens can help students learn about traditional festivals, music and arts and develop fondness for Chinese customs to "lay the foundation for national security education". Kindergarten children were not expected to learn about national security crimes.

 

The Education Bureau said it accepted international and private schools had different curricula, but said they had a "responsibility to help their students (regardless of their ethnicity and nationality) acquire a correct and objective understanding ... of national security".

 

Schools should also stop students and teachers from participating in activities deemed as political, such as singing certain songs, wearing various items, forming human chains or shouting slogans.

 

Teachers and principals are required to inspect notice-boards, remove books that endanger national security from libraries and call police if they suspected any breaches.

 

The bureau said national security education will become part of subjects such as geography and biology to enhance students' sense of national identity.

 

(Reporting by Hong Kong newsroom and Sarah Wu in Toronto; Writing by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Richard Pullin, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Michael Perry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-06

 

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[PatOngo]

43 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Head of the Professional Teachers' Union, Ip Kin-yuen, said the guidelines would cause "uncertainty, ambiguity and anxiety" for teachers and enforce a "restrictive and suppressive" education style that does not foster student development and independent thinking.

 Perfect for communist authoritarian rule! The CCP does the thinking, OK! ????

[RJRS1301]

Early chidhood development and indoctrination to work in the "intelligence" agencies across the world

[sungod]

They should be able to goose step by the age of 7.

[2530Ubon]

And the brain washing cycle begins. Sigh.

 

Ah well, at least some of them can get out to the UK if they have a BNO... get out while you can.

[phantomfiddler]

An old English saying...."Give me your children until they are 5 and they are mine".  Sad but very true ???? But this brainwashing practice is carried out in many countries apart from Hong Kong, including the one we are in, afraid to leave in case we can't get back ????

[JimHuaHin]

Welcome to communism.

[Enzian]

If educators can be punished for not following these guidelines, and I expect they can, then the rest of the world should consider itself as unofficially but effectively at war with China and the CCP.

[pacovl46]

Right! And once the indoctrination is done the next step will be to declare Hong Kong a part of North Korea! 

[Patong2021]

And the west falls over itself to do business with china.

[sweatalot]

China seems to be becoming more and more aggressive - both inside and out. A very uneasy feeling what else they might have in the pipeline.   And all because the West has given China such a great economic power.

[RJRS1301]

2 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

An old English saying...."Give me your children until they are 5 and they are mine".  Sad but very true ???? But this brainwashing practice is carried out in many countries apart from Hong Kong, including the one we are in, afraid to leave in case we can't get back ????

Actually it was the Jesuits who said it

[Pique Dard]

5 hours ago, rooster59 said:

include teaching students as young as six about colluding with foreign forces and subversion as part of a new national security curriculum.

good news! when they become adults, they'll move  to the uk and tell china not to interfere with british politics!

[RJRS1301]

2 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

Welcome to communism.

Very much how Stalin did thngs

 

[placnx]

26 minutes ago, Pique Dard said:

good news! when they become adults, they'll move  to the uk and tell china not to interfere with british politics!

They could only get to the UK with parents who were born before 1997. Not sure whether the parents need to already have the BNO passports.

[grumbleweed]

No brainwashing

Instead teach them creationism and that the biggest warmonger and the most hated country on the planet is actually the greatest country on God's green earth

 

[RJRS1301]

7 minutes ago, grumbleweed said:

No brainwashing

Instead teach them creationism and that the biggest warmonger and the most hated country on the planet is actually the greatest country on God's green earth

 

a little bit of hyperbole perhaps?

If you are meaning the one which has waged more wars than other country since 1945, which has twice impeached recent president.

The one which confuses christianity with hpocracy?

 

 

[Enoon]

4 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

Actually it was the Jesuits who said it

 

"Give me the child for the first seven years and I will give you the man"

                               Attributed to Ignatius Layola, founder of the Jesuit order.

 

Some say it originated elsewhere.

 

 

 

[bangon04]

"Children in primary schools will learn how to sing and respect China's national anthem, and gain an understanding of the four main offences"   it sounds rather like Thailand.......

[onebir]

In mainland China they teach kids the 'Socialist Core Values' and plaster them all over the place. One kid (~11 year old) asked me if i had to learn them when I was a kid. When I told her we don't have them, she said "That's good, they're nonsense" ????.

 

11 year old:1 - CCP:0

 

 

[unblocktheplanet]

Worked in Tibet, now, didn't it...

[Credo]

I don't know what people are thinking.  Of course, they will do this just like every country does it.   Anybody who went to a western school received the same type of indoctrination.  Anybody who has taught at a Thai school knows that it is done every day.  

Whether it is standing to sing the National Anthem, pledging allegiance to the flag, or praying to the country's God of choice, that's what education is all about.  We teach children to honor the country, the flag and the religion (or some combination) and we teach them how to behave -- what rules we follow to get along, what is right and wrong and what is permissible.   

I can assure you it doesn't take 12 years to teach children to simply read, write and do arithmetic.   

 

[Edwin Cameron]

That's right.! turn them into' brainwashed haters' that will grow up with a chip on there shoulders to hate anything not chinese

[RJRS1301]

1 hour ago, Credo said:

Anybody who went to a western school received the same type of indoctrination.

I am afraid this is incorrect, certainly not happening in Australian schools,.

[placnx]

13 hours ago, Credo said:

I don't know what people are thinking.  Of course, they will do this just like every country does it.   Anybody who went to a western school received the same type of indoctrination.  Anybody who has taught at a Thai school knows that it is done every day.  

Whether it is standing to sing the National Anthem, pledging allegiance to the flag, or praying to the country's God of choice, that's what education is all about.  We teach children to honor the country, the flag and the religion (or some combination) and we teach them how to behave -- what rules we follow to get along, what is right and wrong and what is permissible.   

I can assure you it doesn't take 12 years to teach children to simply read, write and do arithmetic.   

 

I believe that the US Supreme Court has decided that pledge of allegiance in school is optional. Praying is obviously optional.

[from the home of CC]

On 2/6/2021 at 11:30 AM, RJRS1301 said:

Actually it was the Jesuits who said it

and they turned out worse than the communists..

[from the home of CC]

14 hours ago, Credo said:

I don't know what people are thinking.  Of course, they will do this just like every country does it.   Anybody who went to a western school received the same type of indoctrination.  Anybody who has taught at a Thai school knows that it is done every day.  

Whether it is standing to sing the National Anthem, pledging allegiance to the flag, or praying to the country's God of choice, that's what education is all about.  We teach children to honor the country, the flag and the religion (or some combination) and we teach them how to behave -- what rules we follow to get along, what is right and wrong and what is permissible.   

I can assure you it doesn't take 12 years to teach children to simply read, write and do arithmetic.   

 

their children, their playground, their rules - up to them..

[tonbridgebrit]

On 2/6/2021 at 5:00 AM, placnx said:

They could only get to the UK with parents who were born before 1997. Not sure whether the parents need to already have the BNO passports.

So, about three hundred thousand Chinese in Hong Kong have got this BNO passport. Supposedly, another two million in Hong Kong can still apply and get a BNO. You're correct, the issue of being born in Hong Kong prior to 1997 has a massive bearing on who in Hong Kong can get a BNO.  Okay, a child can still get a BNO if the parents have a BNO.

Now, of the 300,000 in Hong Kong who have the BNO, how many will actually move to Britain ?  I don't think the numbers moving to Britain and staying for the long-term, will be great. I think, only a tiny minority of the three hundred thousand will actually come to live long-term in Britain.  And the two or three million who can still apply and get a BNO,  I really don't think there will be a rush to get the application form.    ????

Why is that ?    ????

[tonbridgebrit]

16 hours ago, Credo said:

I don't know what people are thinking.  Of course, they will do this just like every country does it.   Anybody who went to a western school received the same type of indoctrination.  Anybody who has taught at a Thai school knows that it is done every day.  

Whether it is standing to sing the National Anthem, pledging allegiance to the flag, or praying to the country's God of choice, that's what education is all about.  We teach children to honor the country, the flag and the religion (or some combination) and we teach them how to behave -- what rules we follow to get along, what is right and wrong and what is permissible.   

I can assure you it doesn't take 12 years to teach children to simply read, write and do arithmetic.   

 

Yes, I think you're partly correct. Yes.   ????

[tonbridgebrit]

On 2/6/2021 at 9:40 AM, bangon04 said:

"Children in primary schools will learn how to sing and respect China's national anthem, and gain an understanding of the four main offences"   it sounds rather like Thailand.......

And none of us wants to criticise Thailand for this. That's because this type of thing is actually harmless.   ????