Xia Baolong did not waste any time. On the eve of the annual People’s Congress, the ‘chief of Hong Kong and Macao affairs’ in Beijing stated that in addition to politics and justice, the media and education should also be led by patriots, people who put the interests of China first.
Another top official agreed, saying that patriots should respect the Communist Party. “We assess whether that criterion is met.” Patriotic education must be strengthened, was the message this week in Beijing.
“In the schools we try to create an environment that stimulates growth,” said Ip Kin-yuen, vice president at the teachers’ union. “Language, arithmetic, and all those other subjects. The most important thing is to stimulate their curiosity.”
Since the controversial security law was introduced, by which China has banned secessionism and government-subversive activities, has not made things any easier. “Teaching about national security itself is not the problem,” said Ip, whose organization has some 100,000 educators affiliated. “But the government is now so committed to it that students no longer dare to ask questions and teachers avoid controversial topics. We are concerned that education will soon no longer be education.”
Lessons not politicized
John, who teaches history in a high school, notices that the classroom is already gnawing at liberties. “For example when we teach about totalitarian regimes. In the past we pointed to China: control over the life of the individual, the one-party state. Now we have to be more careful and I illustrate it with countries like North Korea.”
Clear instructions on what to say and what not to say are not contained in the guidelines launched last month. Schools do tell their teachers that lessons should not be politicized. “But what exactly do they mean by that?”
Rebuke for Facebook Post
John himself, a pseudonym for security reasons, already faced a reprimand. He had posted a message on Facebook criticizing the Hong Kong police. “Someone probably picked it up from the internet and filed a complaint with the government. It came back to me through the school.”
His case is not an isolated one. In at least two cases, teachers were even removed from the register. Many Hong Kongers have since deleted their social media profiles. Less secure communication apps have been exchanged en masse for encrypted platforms such as WhatsApp and Signal.
Schools were asked to explain how they ensure that teachers and students behave within the undefined lines of the safety law. They were also asked to come up with plans for the future to address any shortcomings.
“The entire education system is being screened”, says Ip. His union represents roughly 90 percent of all educators in Hong Kong. Most of the supporters are predominantly positive about the pro-democracy movement.
That is also an argument for Beijing to point to schools as an important source of the protests in the city in recent years. “They’re trying to find a scapegoat,” says Ip. “I think that’s not correct. They think the government is doing something wrong and not listening to the people. That’s why the protests have broken out.”
Schools have so far remained silent about the announced reforms. The NOS contacted fifty educational institutions in various Hong Kong districts. No school has yet been able to answer questions about the implications of the reforms for curricula.
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