Patriotic education for Hong Kong must be curated with care

Patriotic education is not a new idea. Countries including the US and the UK offer some form of it to build support for the nation
For Hong Kong, it is important to identify patriotic knowledge, skills and values before disseminating them to students and non-students alike

Kerry Kennedy

Published: 9:30am, 12 Nov 2023

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Patriotic education has been on the agenda for a while. With the passing of the Patriotic Education Law of the People’s Republic of China by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, it is also now on a broader social and political agenda – it is for all citizens, not just students.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, for example, has indicated that the city will embrace the spirit of this new law. This emphasis on the Hong Kong context needs to be considered from an educational perspective. The basic ideas that make up patriotic education need to be identified and then, most importantly, properly sequenced across the age spectrum for Hong Kong students and the whole community.

Patriotic education is not a new idea in China or elsewhere. All nations seek to develop young people and citizens who love their country and will support it. It may be called civics in the United States, citizenship education in the United Kingdom, or civics and citizenship education in Australia, but the purpose is the same: to develop understanding, skills and national values.

Patriotism is not nationalism, where your country is seen to be better than other countries. Patriotic education is a process focused on building and developing support for the nation and its achievements.

The Education Bureau has refocused on what might be called the social studies curriculum from primary school to senior secondary school. New or revised subjects at every level – humanities for primary school, citizenship, economics and society for junior secondary school, and citizenship and social development for senior secondary school – have been or are being put in place.

All feature patriotic education. In addition to these formal curriculum components, there are experiential components such as flag-raising ceremonies and visits to the mainland. These new arrangements have more than made up for any inadequacy of the previous curriculum.

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Hong Kong students mark National Security Education Day with nunchuck martial arts performance

Yet they raise the issue of how patriotic knowledge, skills and values are identified and sequenced across these school subjects as well as the more informal experiences. Repetition needs to be avoided, content needs to be developmentally appropriate and learning outcomes over time need to be specified.

For example, if we expect children in the early years to learn the words of the national anthem and develop respect for national symbols, what do we expect Form 6 students to know, be able to do and value?

This is a basic educational question that would be asked about any area of the school curriculum, so it is not unusual to ask it about patriotic education. Young people, and citizens in general, need to understand what is expected of them, when it is expected and how to know when expectations have been met.

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Importantly, young people need to grow and develop in their understanding of patriotism. This should involve moving through a series of experiences that are related but not repetitive. Fitting all the pieces together, they should develop a holistic understanding of patriotism over time.

The situation becomes more complex when post-school requirements are considered. For those attending further education – around 40 per cent of the school population – there will be courses and experiences that seek to further patriotic education, including national security education. These need to be linked to what students have already learned in school.

We must consider how their knowledge and understanding will be extended and how this will help young adults become good and loyal citizens.

Children look at a Chinese empress’ gold seal on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum on July 3. Photo: Elson Li

Moreover, 60 per cent of high school students will not attend further education; how will they be affected by not having the same access to additional patriotic education?

To some extent, this question has been answered by the introduction of the Patriotic Education Law that will come into effect at the beginning of 2024. The law is designed not just for students but the whole population.

Articles 7 to 10 of the law, for example, cover standard patriotic-educational ideals in the Chinese context – building a strong sense of community, appreciation of Chinese culture, integration with the global community and celebration of National Day. This is likely to be similar to what Hong Kong students have experienced at school, but it may be new to those who went to school before 2019.

Articles 3 to 6, meanwhile, cover an understanding of Marxism and the thought of China’s paramount leaders, acknowledging the leadership of the Communist Party, and knowledge of the constitution, laws and the role of heroes and martyrs. These are not new topics to many on or from the mainland.

While there are few signs that these topics are about to be widely introduced to Hongkongers, in “dovetailing” with the Patriotic Education Law, Hong Kong must carefully curate its implementation of patriotic education if it is to have the desired impact.

The challenge for the government across agencies and bureaus is to build a coherent and consistent programme of learning. It needs to avoid duplication and overlap, ensure that the most significant issues are highlighted and keep students and citizens engaged over a long period of time.

Becoming a patriot is not about taking a simple oath of allegiance: it is commitment to a body of knowledge and attendant values. Identifying the scope and sequence of such learning across time needs to be a priority.

Kerry J. Kennedy is professor emeritus at the Education University of Hong Kong