Another book echoed a conspiracy theory that the opposition and separatist groups had called on foreign powers to intervene in Hong Kong’s affairs. The changes in the textbooks are part of a broader revision of the old theme of liberal studies, which this year has been replaced by citizenship and social development. Liberal studies were introduced in 2009 as a mandatory subject to encourage critical thinking, but were fired upon by authorities for allegedly encouraging the 2019 protest movement. His textbooks had not previously been reviewed by educational authorities, with some even referring to the repression of Tiananmen in 1989 – another issue that is now completely banned in schools. The Global Times, a Chinese state tabloid, described the result as “chaos”. New textbooks and curricula released by the Hong Kong Office of Education (EDB) mean that teachers “will no longer be able to convey their erroneous and poisonous political views to students when they teach this subject,” according to the article. . Beijing believes Hong Kong’s recognition as a colony could open the door for it to move away from China, after a UN declaration in 1960 reaffirmed the colonized peoples’ right to independence – a key demand of some 2019 protesters. “Schools need to teach students to think positively and to love their nation,” the EDB chief told the Global Times. The new curriculum will teach children up to the age of six about National Security Act and also requires all students to take a trip to mainland China.
“Brainwashing” to create patriots
Critics say the changes are part of an increasingly insidious attempt to “brainwash” children with Beijing propaganda. “Clearly, the review was not designed to serve the interests of students, but to fulfill a political purpose,” said Timothy Lee, an activist and former Kowloon City Councilor who left Hong Kong last spring. “Schools are becoming another battleground… for the implementation of a ‘second takeover’, for building trust in the state, through various means from law to education.” He said schools were under “enormous pressure” under the National Security Act. “An ‘updated’ version of it [liberal studies]”It will include a national security module, which means that students should receive Chinese patriotic education with brainwashing,” he added. The changes “reflect the ‘grounding’ of Hong Kong ‘to make it more like China,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute. “In the Communist Party, education is the key tool to get people to embrace the Party, its leadership and its version of history,” he told the Telegraph. “By shaping the minds of young people, the Party expects them to develop into ‘patriots’ who fully support the Party and its leader.”
