Hong Kong national security law: Catholic Church tells its schools in city no room for any ‘one-sided political message’ in classroom
- City’s diocese sends letter to nearly 200 primary and secondary schools urging ‘correct understanding’ of new national security law
- Source says letter is more of a reminder than a mandatory directive on teaching methods
In a letter to heads and supervisors of the primary and secondary schools, the city’s diocese also said no one should “spread any one-sided political message” on campus, while school management should monitor teachers’ choice of teaching materials, homework and books for students.
About 190 of the city’s primary and secondary schools have a Catholic background, according to official figures of the diocese. They are either directly run by the church, or by sponsoring bodies such as Caritas and the Canossian Daughters of Charity.
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What you should know about China's new national security law for Hong Kong
“Schools should be protected from being politicised, and no one should spread any one-sided political message, or express their political stance or demands on campus,” Peter Lau Chiu-yin, the episcopal delegate for education, said in the letter, which was sent out on Tuesday.
“Students should have a correct understanding of the national security and national anthem laws … Their sense of national security and law-abiding awareness should be enhanced, as they should also learn about and respect the national flag, emblem and anthem.”
Hong Kong national security law official English version
The letter also reminded teachers to handle teaching materials in a “careful, rational, objective and unbiased manner”, while school management should also monitor teaching materials, homework, exam papers and books compiled or chosen by teachers.
A source at one Catholic school told the Post the letter, which it received on Thursday, was more of a reminder, rather than a directive mandatorily demanding schools take further steps to promote the security or anthem laws.
The source said their school would hold a meeting to discuss its contents.
In a reply to the Post, the Catholic diocese confirmed that while the letter was a guideline and not mandatory for schools to follow, some principals and school supervisors had sought advice following the Education Bureau’s letter to schools last month on a similar matter.
Leader of Hong Kong Catholics hopes security law won’t affect Vatican ties
Under the national security law – which came into effect on June 30 and targets acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces – the Hong Kong government is required to promote national security education at schools.
Schools in the city have come under the spotlight since the anti-government protests erupted last year, with many students becoming more politically active.
Among the 9,216 people arrested by June this year in connection with the protests, about 3,725 were students, and of those about 45 per cent were secondary school pupils.
Last month, the city's Anglican Church, known locally as the Sheng Kung Hui, said in its publication, Echo, that it was looking to form an office to better coordinate between various school sponsoring bodies on education policies.
Archbishop Paul Kwong was quoted as saying in an internal meeting that the Sheng Kung Hui, which has about 90 primary and secondary schools across the city, would establish an education division.
It would include a board of directors, with clerics such as himself, the church’s provincial secretary general and legal adviser sitting on the board.
The new body was not for micromanaging the schools, but for supporting them, Kwong added.
