This Time Sing with Emotion

Students must sing the national anthem "with emotion"

Students in Hong Kong started school today, and they were instructed to sing the national anthem "with emotion" during the flag-raising ceremonies.

"On some occasions, we call it 'playing the national anthem'. On others, we call it 'playing and singing the national anthem," Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said during a radio show.

Choi says students should not sing in a low voice

"Sometimes, students may be unaware of the occasion. Students sing in a low voice and are unsure whether they should sing it or not. After a reminder, everyone knows they should sing the national anthem solemnly and with emotion during the ceremony."

Back in June, the Education Bureau complained students in two schools of singing March of the Volunteers too softly, and told teachers at another institution to help pupils develop the habit of singing the song with confidence.

Thank you for the gentle reminder, but perhaps Choi could set a good example and sing March of the Volunteers "with emotion" for us so that students know what standard the Education Bureau is expecting?

HK Sex Education is to Play Badminton

Education Bureau teaches kids not to have sex, play badminton

Teenagers are exploring sex, whether you like it or not, which is why sex education experts in the west suggest giving advice to them on how to protect themselves with birth control, and giving them resources so they are aware of sexually transmitted diseases.

A recent CBC Radio Vancouver call-in show had a sex educator on explaining it was important for parents to accept that their children were learning about sex through their friends or online and to be open to fielding questions from them or keeping communication channels open in case they get into trouble.

However, the Hong Kong government seems to be taking the denialist view, telling students not to engage in premarital sex, and curb their sexual desires by playing badminton.

Choi says sex ed teaches kids to "love themselves"

You read it right -- play badminton if you're feeling... cocky.

Online people had a field day or should we say court day with this, commenting that "playing badminton" should be the euphemism for having sex.

Despite outrage from critics and sex educators that this strategy for taming sexual desires was "out of touch" and "unrealistic", Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin dismiss these claims and insisted it was a valid way to "protect the juniors."

In a television interview, Choi said the purpose of sex education was to teach children to "love themselves, respect others and be responsible for themselves."

"Our approach is not conservative -- we wish to protect the young people and equip them with the right values to face adulthood and the complexity of society... and it's illegal to have sex with an underaged person," she added.

Indeed -- sex with a girl under the age of 16 can result in a penalty of five years in prison, and if the girl is under 13, the maximum sentence is life behind bars.

Lee supports Education Bureau sex ed advice

But the reality is, teens are having sex!

Meanwhile Lee weighed in, saying: "Although people could have very different opinions on value education, the government plays a leading role in determining the kind of society it aims to build through education.

"The education we provide should align with our visions, bringing us towards the kind of society, living environment and societal culture that we aspire to build... this is a continuous and collective effort."

Is Lee speaking from experience? He married Janet Lam Lai-sim when he was 22 years old and she was, by some reports 17 or younger... 

HK Schools Graded on National Security Education

Hey kids! Time to learn about national security at school!

National education is in full swing in Hong Kong schools, except officials feel the students aren't singing their hearts out when it comes to the national anthem, March of the Volunteers.

The Education Bureau has accused the students at two schools of singing the national anthem too softly and that they should singing with more confidence.

Hong Kong and Macau Lutheran Church Primary School in Tseung Kwan O and Yan Chai Hospital Lim Por Yen Secondary School in Tsuen Wan were both told in the bureau's review report the students' voices were weak when singing March of the Volunteers.

Some students criticised for singing too softly

"Teachers need to remind students more to help students develop the habit of singing the national anthem loudly in unison," the report said of the students of the latter school.

Maybe the kids just don't like singing? 

Meanwhile the bureau told a special school for moderately mentally disabled students in Shek Kip Mei that its teachers don't have a comprehensive understanding of national security education.

"The school must strengthen the professional development of teachers and clarify relevant concepts in order to effectively implement national security education," the report said.

Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Kwan Fong Kai Chi School, which offers special education, said implementing national security education was still in the initial stages.

"Some teachers are taking the lead [in terms of the implementation], and it is understandable that other teachers may not have a complete grasp of national security education," it said in its response to the review report.

Flag-raising ceremonies are scrutinised as well

"The school will continue to strengthen the professional development of teachers according to school conditions and clarify relevant concepts in a bid to implement national security education in the school more effectively."

The report, released by the Education Bureau, covers various education performance indicators and offers suggestions.

Now how students sing the national anthem and conduct flag-raising ceremonies are scrutinised as well...

Statistic of the Day: HK Students Contemplating Suicide

Some 2.8 percent of student surveyed had suicidal thoughts

It's tragic to discover thousands of primary and secondary students tried to commit suicide in the last school year.

The Department of Health released a survey of 233,000 primary and 97,000 secondary pupils, asking them about their growth, vision, hearing, psychosocial health, and behaviour.

In the results the department found 2.8 percent of the children reported thinking about committing suicide in the last academic year, while 1.3 percent -- or almost 4,300 -- said they actually attempted to take their own lives.

Chinese University psychiatry professor Sandra Chan says the resumption of face-to-face classes after the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in increased emotional stress among students.

"You can easily see that in the real-world situation when students' academic demands are rising, especially in the post-Covid [era] and when schools actually are catching up on schedule and the curriculum that they have missed in the past few years... You can imagine the kind of adjustment coupled with academic stress," she said.

Chan said more needed to be done to make mental health services more accessible.

"There must be some multi-level collaboration to prioritise mental well-being as part of the core education initiative, so that will help our family and students address their needs and use the resources available. The priority really is to have policies at school level, at health care level to make these resources accessible and trusted."

While catching up on academics and having difficulty in performing well on tests may be one issue, the other is how the school system has evolved to include more national education, seeing friends and relatives leaving Hong Kong and wondering what hope they have left for their future in the city.

Children are very sensitive, and their emotions need to be recognised and addressed... unless the government doesn't think they are the future of Hong Kong...

HK Students Need to Sing Anthem Louder

Apparently HK students not singing the anthem loud enough

C'mon kids! Gotta sing the national anthem louder! We can't hear you belting out "March of the Volunteers"! 

That's what Hong Kong's education authorities are saying in a recent inspection report, criticising schools for paying too much attention in teaching about national security rather than focusing on why the subject mattered to them.

"Teachers and students sang the national anthem together, but the singing was a little soft," the report said. "Schools must boost students' confidence and habit in singing the national anthem."

The bureau's report evaluated 251 primary, secondary and special schools over the last academic year. It said the schools did not explain to students the threats and crises the country currently faced and emphasise the importance of national security when teaching some topics.

"In terms of classroom teaching, teachers focus too much on teaching knowledge content and rarely link students' life experiences or create situations to effectively put students into others' shoes and understand how national security is related to them," the report said.

It also complained that promoting national education in the curriculum was more of something that was completed rather than focusing on how to teach it well.

But what are the crises and threats China and Hong Kong are facing? And how does national security matter to students? 

While one principal claimed teachers and school heads not singing loudly enough only resulted in students doing the same, another said students and teachers always sang at a low volume regardless of the song.

Perhaps students will sing louder eventually, but forcing them to turn up the volume will only make them sing even softer...

Suspended Students Leads to Firestorm over Cartoon

Zunzi's cartoon sparked complaints from the police

The Education Bureau has told St Francis Xavier's school in Tsuen Wan to submit a report that resulted in 14 students being suspended for apparently disrespecting China's anthem and emblem when they failed to turn up for the flag-raising ceremony.

One of the students said he was confused by the punishment as suspensions are reserved for students who smoke on campus or get caught in a fight.

"Although I'm back at school now, I have no idea why I was punished," he said.

St Francis Xavier School in Tsuen Wan

The student said that morning they were eating breakfast in the school playground when the anthem started playing.

He began walking over when he heard the anthem but was stopped by the principal who told the students they were suspended and ordered to pack up their things and leave.

"How could you decide this before having any evidence? Everyone in Form Six is racing against time doing past [exam] papers. Have you considered us before suspending us?" asked another student.

In a letter to parents, the school said the 14 students were suspended for "breaking school rules" because they had failed to turn up for assembly.

The flag-raising ceremony is mandated to be held on a weekly basis. 

Some lawmakers said the punishment may have been too harsh, but still felt the students were in the wrong.

But others had another opinion.

Leo Chu Tsz-lok, the education affairs spokesman for the Democratic Party, urged authorities to review the manner in which the school had handled the incident.

Zunzi's caricature self-portrait

"You can't boost one's patriotism by punishing [students]. While there are guidelines from education authorities on the flag-raising ceremony, students should not be taken to task at every turn just for some minor and careless mistakes."

Political cartoonist Zunzi made a mockery of the incident in a political cartoon, but was admonished by the police for painting them in a bad light.

The cartoon shows riot police arriving at a school, with one officer asking a bespectacled woman: "What bad things have the students done today, headmistress Chan?" The woman lists the infringements -- using foul language, stealing an eraser, bringing along a laser pen, and talking back to the teacher.

He wanted to show the absurdity of the situation, but the police took exception and complained to Ming Pao. 

The police letter said the cartoon would mislead readers into thinking officers were called in to handle students who showed "disrespect" for the flag-raising ceremony.

The letter added the cartoon's content was "not factual" and would not only "damage the force's reputation", but also "harm the force's relations with citizens".

For the most part relations were damaged back in 2019... sending this letter showed how desperate the force is to defend its reputation, and that it didn't have a sense of humour.

Zunzi denied he was criticising the force, but instead asking for teachers to be more lenient on disciplinary matters.

The brouhaha over the cartoon made the force look even more thin-skinned and emphasised the absurdity of the school's punishment of the students.

Luckily Zunzi is not in Hong Kong anymore, but still, can no one take a joke these days?

Spending 25 Percent Lesson Time on Patriotism

Children will spend more class time on patriotic education

Hong Kong parents who have taken their children out of the local school system to be educated overseas must be breathing a sigh of relief they did the right thing.

That's because the Education Bureau has asked (not directed) primary schools to spend up to one-quarter of the study time towards patriotism and national security during the six years of primary education.

Topics to be covered include "the understanding of Chinese culture, the constitution, Basic Law and national security education".

Authorities also recommended organising "cross-disciplinary" exchange visits to mainland China.

This is the first change in the curriculum in eight years. A bureau spokesman said there was a need to update the primary curriculum guide to "enhance student learning", and noted the ones for kindergarten and secondary school had been updated in 2017.

There are seven learning goals, but the first and main one is to "understand our country and the Chinese culture, and cultivate a sense of belonging and national identity towards our country through national education and national security education".

In order to teach all this information, schools are to set side up to 25 percent of the 4,752 hours of lesson time during the six primary school years for organising activities to brush up their understanding of the constitution, the Basic Law and national security.

That time will be cut into lesson time for learning the Chinese and English languages, as well as mathematics.

As a parent this must be infuriating to know that precious class time is being squandered on national education, training young children to parrot Communist ideas and beliefs.

Perhaps there will be a continued spike in students leaving the city later this year?

Teachers Must Study Xi's July 1 Speech

Xi at the July 1 handover ceremony in Hong Kong

After Chinese President Xi Jinping gave his speech in Hong Kong on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the handover back to the mainland, civil servants were directed to study it.

The business sector, with such bodies as the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, and the Business and Professional Alliance of Hong Kong, as well as the IT industry in Science Park held study seminars.

Now the education sector is mandating that teachers must "study and learn" Xi's address, that they had to read and understand its "key messages" including his expectations for the city.

Teachers from various schools study Xi's words

What are these main points?

- Improving governance

- Creating a strong impetus for growth

- Handling people's concerns

- Maintaining social harmony and stability

The Education Bureau says the speech "fully expresses President Xi's love and care for young people in Hong Kong, and his earnest hope of providing "better education for children".

Educators were also expected to "accurately comprehend the constitutional order under 'one country, two systems', deepen their awareness of the trends in both the country and the world, and understand the importance of Hong Kong's integration into the overall development of our country," the bureau said.

Primary and secondary schools will receive copies of the speech, while 

Lam says teachers should study speech

Nancy Lam Chui-ling, principal of Tsuen Wan Trade Association Chu Cheong Kindergarten, also supported the bureau's decision.

"While kindergarten children may be too young to understand the messages in the president's speech, it is important for teachers to study it," she said.

"Teachers form a key part of local education. They should develop a positive attitude about Hong Kong and its development so that they can properly teach our children."

First of all, what are teachers supposed to impart from Xi's speech? His main points are broad and more directed at senior government officials. Also, if a teacher doesn't have a positive attitude about his or her profession, then they wouldn't be teachers in the first place. Surely they don't need what the president says to "guide" them. 

This exercise of making people read Xi's speech and have study sessions to discuss it are just a bid to tick boxes. It is also a very strong signal of how Hong Kong is being further mainlandized.

Veteran China-watcher Johnny Lau Yui-siu doubted the effectiveness of such "formalistic seminars" to study state leaders' speeches just to show they were trying to "unify thoughts" within the sector.

Meanwhile political scientist Chan Wai-keung, from the Hong Kong Community College of Polytechnic University, also expressed concerns about "formalism".

Xi's book available at Hong Kong Book Fair

"That is very mainland-style. Hong Kong people are not quite used to this... If it is just... for formalities' sake, it will not serve much purpose. People may just show up for the sake of attending and the Hong Kong public will not take it too seriously either," Chan said.

The Hong Kong government has been given the directive to push its residents to conform with the mainland, and studying Xi's speech is one way to emulate what is done in China.

When I was in Beijing and worked in state media, in the late afternoon once in a while my local colleagues would disappear to study then President Hu Jintao's "Three Represents" speech.

A few confided it was very boring, but at the same time were resigned to the reality that they had to attend these study sessions as part of their obligation as a Communist Party member.

Hong Kong residents must study Xi's speech, member or not... Indoctrination is moving full speed ahead...

Education Chief Promotes More Putonghua Learning

Students need to learn more Mandarin for better opportunities

The Hong Kong Education Bureau claims news reports saying the city was considering switching the medium of instruction for Chinese lessons in Mandarin rather than Cantonese are "inaccurate".

However when Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin was interviewed by state-run Global Times, she said that "if conditions are met, schools can use Putonghua to teach the Chinese language subject." 

Choi says Putonghua should be used in schools

In the interview published on Monday, Choi said the young generation in Hong Kong would "suffer losses" in terms of opportunities arising from China's rapid development if they could not speak Mandarin.

Therefore, she said, schools must teach subjects in Mandarin rather than Cantonese. 

But the Education Bureau claimed some media outlets misinterpreted Choi's remarks as meaning Mandarin would be the teaching language of choice for all schools and would be comprehensively implemented.

Instead the bureau clarified that such policies would depend on the school's situation, "including the level of readiness among teachers, the Mandarin capability of students, the language environment on campus, the curriculum, and support available for learning and teaching."

The bureau also said that "teaching Chinese in Putonghua" has always been a long-term target in the Chinese language curriculum since 2002, and this policy has not changed.

However, if Choi is giving this big hint that students should further brush up on their Mandarin in order to compete with peers on the mainland, she should be appealing to the parents, as they are the ones who would prefer their children have good English skills to keep their employment options open.

Students are already learning Mandarin

Also, is Choi also suggesting that the level of Mandarin in schools is bad? Then whose fault is that? Perhaps better teachers should be hired? Oh wait thousands of them have left Hong Kong?

There was also a time when suddenly teachers in Hong Kong had to teach subjects in Cantonese rather than English because the government seemed to think students did not have a good grasp of what was going on in the class. This was difficult for teachers to do, who had for years and decades taught the subject in English. 

And now the government wants teachers to teach in Mandarin instead of Cantonese... 

NSL Indoctrination Begins

University students must now pass a class on NSL to graduate

The Hong Kong Education Bureau is making sure students are learning about the national security law with university students having to take a non-credit course on the subject in order to graduate.

In an email sent to all University of Hong Kong students on Monday, students must enrol in a course titled "Introduction to the Constitution, the Basic Law and the National Security Law" from the 2022-23 academic year.

HKU will offer the course in September

The HKU course will be taught online with a "self-directed learning approach" -- whatever that means.

"Students will have the flexibility to take this course in any semester throughout their period of study and there is NO NEED TO ENROL in this course during the upcoming course selection and/or add/drop period," the notice says, adding students just need to pass the course without further details.

It's not just this university but also the other seven that will launch or have already started offering national security courses.

Ming Pao reported that the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University will begin offering the NSL course the upcoming school year.

Baptist U has incorporated NSL in seminars

Meanwhile, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Education University of Hong Kong, Lingnan University and City University of Hong Kong have already incorporated national security content into their curriculum in the format of seminars and workshops, according to Ming Pao.

But don't think that young children have escaped the opportunity to learn about NSL -- the Education Bureau has collaborated with the Security Bureau to create picture books for pupils in kindergarten, primary and secondary schools "to raise the sense of national security," said Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin.

"... [the Education Bureau], together with the Security Bureau will gift all secondary and primary schools, and kindergartens, a picture book titled 'Our Country, Our Safety', and introduce a sense of national security and raise students' awareness and sense of responsibility of maintaining national security through various themes and real-life examples."

Wonder what examples Choi has in mind...

Kindergarten pupils to get NSL picture books

She added the EDB will also provide subsidies of around HK$50 million for secondary and primary schools, and HK$10 million for kindergartens to promote reading. 

Ostensibly reading NSL-and patriotic education-related materials...

Political Cartoonist Exits Hong Kong

Political cartoonist Va Wong Sir has left Hong Kong

This morning I woke up to look on my Facebook feed to discover an acquaintance has moved to the UK with his family. 

The exodus continues with well known political cartoonist known as Va Wong Sir.

He posted on his Facebook a drawing perhaps of himself wearing a backpack and a suitcase next to him. Behind him is a petal of the bauhinia flower -- the symbol of Hong Kong -- that is red with a gold star, signifying the mainlandization of the city.

"I'm sorry," he begins his message, and says, "I promise myself with guilt, anger and shame to continue drawing for those who have been silenced."

In early April Va Wong Sir did an interview with independent news website FairPlanet, saying he was a target, though it is not clear if it involves the national security bureau or the Hong Kong police.

The visual arts and liberal studies secondary school teacher started drawing political cartoons in his spare time and the Education Bureau sent him warning letters, claiming his artworks contain "groundless allegations towards the police and government", and demonstrate "misconduct behaviour".

After the national security law was implemented at the end of June 2020, schools didn't even want him as a substitute teacher.

Va Wong Sir says after his teaching colleagues were arrested, he started suffering from panic attacks at night. When he tried to sleep he would imagine the police would ring his doorbell to arrest him. That fear was enough to keep him up most nights.

In January 2020, the Education Bureau sent a letter claiming it had received an anonymous complaint about one of his cartoons on his social media account and asked if it was his. A few months later the school Va Wong Sir worked at told that because of budget reasons his his contract would not be renewed. 

But that evening he saw that his position had been advertised in an online recruitment ad.

Then in April 2021 the Education Bureau sent him another letter for his "groundless allegation towards the police and government", while the third letter claimed Va Wong Sir was demonstrating "misconduct behaviour".

"A visual arts teacher drawing pictures in his spare time -- there's nothing wrong with it," he said, and added he never advocated Hong Kong independence, "but right now, it seems that if you oppose the government, that is tantamount to supporting Hong Kong independence. So the space for free speech is very narrow, there's not many things we can say."

While people have suggested to Va Wong Sir to shut down his social media account, he refuses, saying: "Many political cartoonists, like Zunzi and Ah To are still drawing. Why should I give up?"

But while he has given up on Hong Kong and left, we hope to see him continue drawing and reminding us we are all in this together.