Hong Kong's education chief hopes students deepen understanding of national development

Secretary for Education of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Kevin Yeung said on Wednesday that he hoped Hong Kong students can deepen their understanding of the country's conditions and development, and make contribution to the country as their life goal.

Secretary for Education of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Kevin Yeung speaks during a pool interview in south China's Hong Kong, Sept. 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Yeung said in a pool interview that the development of Hong Kong cannot be separated from the development of the country. The HKSAR will cultivate more talents and help young people in Hong Kong seize the opportunities brought about by the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for national socio-economic development.

Yeung said every teacher has the responsibility to promote national education, help students correctly understand the country and enhance their national identity. Since September last year, the Education Bureau of the HKSAR government has required new teachers to attend training courses arranged by the bureau, covering teachers' ethics, the Constitution, the HKSAR Basic Law and national security law in Hong Kong.

In April, the Education Bureau announced the optimizing measures of four senior secondary core subjects, in which Liberal Studies was renamed as Citizenship and Social Development.

Starting from this school year, Citizenship and Social Development, which covers three themes: Hong Kong, the nation and the contemporary world, was introduced in the first year of senior high schools in Hong Kong.

Yeung hoped that students will establish positive values and cultivate a sense of national identity through Citizenship and Social Development. Since April, more than 7,000 teachers have received relevant training to help them better understand the objectives of this subject.

As required by the national security law in Hong Kong, universities need to carry out national security education in classrooms. Yeung said that some universities have made national security education a compulsory subject, and he believed that other universities will also introduce relevant arrangements.

Talking about the role of Hong Kong's education sector in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Yeung said almost all universities in Hong Kong have cooperative projects with other cities in the GBA. In this way, Hong Kong universities can further enhance their research capabilities with the help of resources, land and talents provided by other cities in GBA. Meanwhile, these collaborations can help nurture more talents for the whole GBA.

Yeung hoped that Hong Kong's education sector can nurture virtuous and talented people to contribute to the HKSAR, the GBA and the country.