Our students must understand both the ancient and modern history of China as well as recognize that Hong Kong and the country share the same course of history in order to strengthen their sense of belonging to the country so that they will not harbour the absurd idea that Hong Kong can be an independent sovereign state.

No fixed time for discussion on important issues

During the period between the opening of the new Legislative Council (Legco) and early November, the general public saw the oath-taking incident instigated by two ex-legislators who insulted our country and humiliated the Chinese people, which not only affected the Legco, thus preventing it from convening its meeting, but also resulted in a lot of important issues on the economy and people’s livelihood not being properly addressed and discussed. The motion “requiring the teaching of Chinese history as an independent subject at junior secondary level” is one case in point. This includes the “Consultation on Revising the Chinese History Curriculum (Secondary 1-3)” which was completed at the end of October. The motion was originally scheduled for debate at the Legco meeting held on 19 October, but it was disappointing and regrettable that it had been delayed by the oath-taking incident.

Inappropriate to insult the country to declare political stance

The two ex-legislators’ behaviour to insult our country and humiliate the Chinese people is unacceptable and must be condemned. However, their behaviour precisely reflected their lack of understanding of our country’s history. They are Chinese, yet they neither understand nor know the history of China. They even insulted the country to declare their political stance. This is extremely inappropriate. Their insulting and humiliating behaviour also makes us worry that there are some ill-conceived organizations in our society taking the opportunity to mislead our students. Indeed, such organizations helped some students set up local interest groups at the beginning of the current school year. They were in fact promoting “Hong Kong independence” on campus, subjecting the students to bad influence. Earlier, the Alliance of Hong Kong Teachers was also formed to proclaim support for Hong Kong’s independence. The severity of the situation is extremely worrisome.

Status of Chinese history as a subject must be upgraded

In response to the bad influence, refusal to recognize China as our country, and insult against the country in the Legco and campus, the Government must nip them in the bud so that they do not become ingrained. Unfortunately, at the most basic level of education, the HKSAR Government has refused to listen to the voice of the society and Legco. At the last Legco and Panel on Education, several legislators had repeatedly put forward questions and agenda for teaching Chinese history at junior secondary level. They proposed requiring the teaching of Chinese history as an independent subject at junior secondary level and making it a compulsory subject in order to enable our students understand both the ancient and modern history of China as well as recognize that Hong Kong and the country share the same course of history, strengthening their sense of belonging to the country so that they will not harbour the absurd idea that Hong Kong can be an independent sovereign state.

However, the Secretary for Education kept saying that studying Chinese history is compulsory and gave the excuse that there are on average about two lessons per week at each grade, disregarding the fact that Chinese history is merely a compulsory unit instead of an independent subject at junior secondary level. Such self-deceiving behaviour is very disappointing. The Secretary has said that Chinese history is not the only subject for students to understand Chinese issues. However, how can we cultivate patriotism among our students if they cannot have an independent compulsory subject to give them adequate teaching lessons to understand the Chinese nation’s struggle, such as the painful history of aggression by external powers since the Opium War? Facts speak louder than words. According to the Hong Kong Examination and Assessment Authority’s “Registration Statistics of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination”, the number of candidates sitting the Chinese history exam has been declining in recent years, which precisely reflects the status of Chinese history in school education.

Hoping for return to the right track in future

The one-month “Consultation on Revising the Chinese History Curriculum (Secondary 1-3)” has been completed, but the revision is necessary. First, the old curriculum has been in use for nearly two decades. In the Consultation Paper, the Curriculum Development Council mentioned that covering Hong Kong’s history in the context of China’s historical development can make students understand Hong Kong’s role in the country’s development so that learning become more personal and more fun. The revision can be said to set things right, which will help the younger generation systematically understand the close relationship between the country and Hong Kong. Regrettably, the Consultation Paper has not touched on the core issue, which is Chinese history must be an independent compulsory subject. Debating such an education issue of public concern and substantive significance to the society in a formal setting should have been a new start for the new Legco. Unfortunately, it turned out contrary to what we expected. We can only hope that at future Legco meetings, everyone can discuss economic and livelihood issues of public concern with wisdom and pragmatism, instead of repeating the mistakes and wasting time.

This is a free translation. For the exact meaning of the article, please refer to the Chinese version.