#Brainwash
University in Hong Kong Cites Ongoing Court Cases as Examples of #NationalSecurity Violation, President Calls it 'Academic Freedom'

Recently, Stand News obtained the #NationalSecurityLaw (#NSL) teaching material used in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (#PolyU). The University cited the cases of pro-democracg activist Tong Ying-kit, the LegCo Primary election and the Student Affairs Committee of the HKU Student Union as examples of "secession, subversion and terrorism".

Tong’s case is still undergoing review, while the LegCo primary election case involving the 47 democrats is pending for trial.

At the University’s 85th Inauguration Ceremony, its president #TengJinGuang was asked to comment on the appropriateness of quoting two ongoing court cases as examples in NSL teaching material.

Reporters asked whether it reflected the University’s stance considering these cases without merits. The University was also asked to confirm whether the National Security Department or any government authorities has been consulted during the development of these materials.

In a dilemma, Teng claimed that development of relevant curriculum has undergone "multiple consultations".

Teng said that he trusted the development team’s experience and expertise, claiming that is “academic freedom”.

Teng refused to comment on citing ongoing court cases in teaching material as he stressed that “we were not involved in such detailed discussion.”

The President also avoided the question on the composition of the curriculum development team.

A reporter challenged whether the University would request amendment for erroneous materials. Teng bluffed the question aside, claiming that the responsible staff have always listened to different opinions.

Source: Stand News; #Nov25
https://bit.ly/3phtivV

#University #Education #Curriculum

#BrainWashing #Propaganda
"Don't Lie Flat": New Values Education Framework Promotes "Dilligence", Drops "Critical Thinking" and "Human Rights"

Hong Kong's Education Bureau (#EDB) issued the "Values Education Curriculum Framework (Pilot Version)" on November 30, 2021, as reference material for the city's primary and secondary schools.

The new framework adds "diligence" as a "priority value and attitude" on top of the nine existing values. It also emphasizes "[nurturing] a sense of belonging towards the country from an early age", so as to help students "understand their responsibility, as a Chinese, to protect their family and the country".

The announcement came days after an online article by Secretary for Education #KevinYeung, in which he stressed the importance of #ValuesEducation, while criticizing a trend to "lie flat" among young people.

[Editor's note: The term "lie flat" (躺平) is popularized by young Mainland Chinese netizens who felt disillusioned by long working hours and high social expectations.

In response, they opt for a lifestyle and work ethic of minimalistic survival, and refuse to spend extra effort or money to move up the social ladder, which they saw as being already out of their reach.]

In Hong Kong, the new framework is based on the EDB's 2008 Moral and Civic Education Framework.

The learning objectives in the older framework included "respecting human rights" and learning about the Motherland "through critical thinking". These wordings are no longer found in the new document; instead, a new objective is added: "love the country, love Hong Kong".

Source: Stand News #Nov30
https://thestandnews.page.link/avyAVFN42EnSoV8Y6

#LieFlat #TangPing #Education #ValuesEducation #CCPRules

Former Teacher Hosts Arts Exhibition to Recall Hongkongers' Memory on Pro-democracy Movement

#Vawongsir, a former secondary school teacher and a cartoonist, has been hosting an art exhibition for 2 months at a cafe called Retold at Tsuen Wan's The Mill in Hong Kong since December 2021.

The exhibition displayed 12 artworks by Vawongsir, including one portraying a boy hiding his face, sobbing bitterly in bed at midnight.

Vawongsir sighs that people reduce their concerns about social movement and he hopes the exhibition can recall people's memory. "Hope people will not forget about me, as well as the past incidents."

Vawongsir was accused by the authorities of "professional misconduct", due to his support of the pro-democracy movement.

Recently, he hoped to return to teach by working as a substitute teacher to support his family; however, no school is willing to employ teachers who had been issued a warning letter by the government . All applicantions he sent out had been rejected.

In midst of his hard time, his laptop, which he used to produce illustrations, have also broke down.

Source: Inmedia #Dec23
https://bit.ly/3J29FAZ

#NSL #AntiELABMovement #Teacher #Education #PoliticalSuppression #PoliceState #ProtestArt

#Brainwashing #Education
Universities in Hong Kong to Implement Courses on Modern China and National Security

Source: Inmedia #Jan18
https://bit.ly/3nwAVhB

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#Brainwashing #Education
Universities in Hong Kong to Implement Courses on Modern China and National Security

Under the #NationalSecurityLaw (#NSL), educationsl institutions in Hong Kong were requested to implement national security education.

Universities like the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (#PolyU), the Hong Kong Baptist University (#HKBU), the Hong Kong Education University (#EdUHK) and the Hong Kong Lingnan University (#HKLU) have followed the government order.

Recently, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK) has reportedly amended their core curriculum for the next academic year.

CUHK will open online courses on "Understanding China Today", and "National Security" starting from the next academic year. Each of them takes account to 1 credit.

CUHK confirms InMedia's enquiry and claimed that the new courses aimed to "strengthen students' knowledge [...] to understand national security". The courses were authorised by the University's academic council; however, no curriculum details have been revealed.

According to the documents InMedia received, the course titled "Understanding China Today" touched upon the modernization of China and technological development, in addition to Chinese culture and history. In addition to national security education, other online courses cover positive psychology and modern language. Each of the course takes account to 1 credit.

The University called it "Service Learning" and requires students to take at least one of thrse 1-credit courses.

CUHK replies to InMedia that the university would launcb national security education in accordance with Article 10 of the NSL. The university also said that they have already rolled out a number of policies and activities to "increase students' national belonging". Orientation activities include theme talks about national security and media literacy; courses contain a talk regarding "international circumstances and China's diplomacy"; graduates career workshops consist of #BasicLaw.

Source: Inmedia #Jan18
https://bit.ly/3nwAVhB

#Propaganda #Regime #University

#Suppression #WhiteTerror
The 7th University in Hong Kong ceases recognition of its Students’ Union

#StudentsUnion #Authoritarianism #Censorship #Education

Source: inmediahk; #Jan20
https://bit.ly/3FJOnoP

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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/32097

#Suppression #WhiteTerror
The 7th University in Hong Kong ceases recognition of its Students’ Union

In an internal email sent to students and faculty members on January 20, 2022, the Education University of Hong Kong (#EdUHK) criticized governance of the student union, saying that the Union has been operating under a ‘provisional’ body for the past four consecutive years, without proper mandate and therefore lack of student representation.

The university said it will stop offering support to the union, including the collection of membership fees, providing network accounts and services, and offering IT support. Additionally, the student union will lose access to its office space and the right to book and use campus facilities and venues.

The union’s HK$9 million reserve will also be “kept under the custody” of the university’s Finance Office.

In just one year, seven of eight universities in Hong Kong has cut ties with their students’ union, including the Chinese University of Hong Kong (#CUHK), the University of Hong Kong (#HKU), the City University of Hong Kong (#CityU), the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong (#PolyU), the Baptist University of Hong Kong (#BUHK) and the Lingnan University of Hong Kong (#LingnanU).

#StudentsUnion #Authoritarianism #Censorship #Education

Source: inmediahk; #Jan20
https://bit.ly/3FJOnoP

=====
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5 Universities in Hong Kong Crackdown on Students' Unions
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30534

Editorial Committee of Hong Kong Baptist University's Students' Union resigns en masse due to #Censorship
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/32063

Executive Committee of UCSU CUHK Dissolves
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/31261

#CarrrieLam Insists Actions Against HKU Students; University Management Deregisters Students' Union
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/30489
.

#Censorship #ChinaInfluence
British publishers censor books for western readers to appease China

References to Taiwan and Hong Kong were reportedly deleted from works for Western readers, so that they can also be sold in China.

London-listed #Quarto, as well as #OctopusBooks, part of the literary empire #Hachette, have allowed the removal of sensitive content from books to be sold in the West on several occasions.

It is claimed the nationality of people mentioned in one book was also changed from Taiwanese to East Asian, while references to Tibet, a region annexed by China in 1951, were revised in two books to suggest it was Chinese territory.

Since 2020, Octopus has also reportedly removed references in at least two books to Taiwan, a democracy that the Chinese Communist Party claims as its own territory despite never having ruled there.

#CCP #Education

Source: RFA; #Mar16
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/meiti/al-03152022162948.html

#Crackdown #Censorship
Slogan dedicated to victims of Tiananmen crackdown has been painted over and lined with a row of potted plants in a Hong Kong University

#CUHK #LingnanU #HKU #PillarOfShame #Education #FreedomOfSpeech

Source: Inmediahk; #Mar31
Photo credit: HKFP

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#Crackdown #Censorship
Slogan dedicated to victims of Tiananmen crackdown has been painted over and lined with a row of potted plants in a Hong Kong University

Residents at Swire Hall of the University of Hong Kong (#HKU) painted a slogan on the bridge after the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989.

Every year since then, HKU students have retouched the slogan, which read: “Souls of martyrs shall forever linger despite the brutal massacre; Spark of democracy shall forever glow for the demise of evils.”

33 years later, the university cordoned off the bridge claiming for “regular maintenance works”. Later on the slogan was found covered with cement and on top of it, a row of flower pots was added.

The removal of the slogan was part of a wider clampdown on commemorations of the Tiananmen crackdown at universities across Hong Kong.

In December, HKU dismantled the Pillar of Shame statue – an eight-metre sculpture that depicts bloodied bodies bundled together – in the middle of the night.

The next day, also in the early hours, a Goddess of Democracy statue and a relief sculpture were taken down at Chinese University (#CUHK) and Lingnan University (#LingnanU).

#CUHK #LingnanU #HKU #PillarOfShame #Education #FreedomOfSpeech

Source: Inmediahk; #Mar31
https://bit.ly/3J16po2

Photo credit: HKFP

"Amendment Bill Crisis" Involved Terrorist Acts, Says New Hong Kong Textbooks

June 2022 marks the third anniversary of the beginning of the 2019 protests against the Extradition Law Amendment Bill (ELAB). In Hong Kong, since the 2021/2022 school year, Liberal Studies has been replaced by the subject Citizenship and Social Development.

It was found out that the secondary school textbooks of Citizenship and Social Development has omitted many important social events, including the protest and police-civilian clashes that took place on June 12, 2019.

Ming Pao reviewed four newly released textbooks from three publishers, and found that they mentioned these protests as background information for the enactment of the #NationalSecurityLaw. The textbooks only said that "severe, violent incidents" took place in 2019, and asserted that the "amendment bill crisis" involved "violent acts of terrorism involving various illegal acts".

Two textbooks further alleged that "the Central Government considered it involved interference by foreign forces", that opposition forces and organizations inciting Hong Kong independence invited foreign interference, and so on.

Leo Chu, Democratic Party spokesperson on education policies, commented that these descriptions ignored the deeper causes that triggered the widespread protests at the time.

All four textbooks extolled the importance and purpose of the National Security Law, and claimed that it ensures that "One Country, Two Systems" is implemented, protects human rights, and ensures Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. Other social issues and controversies were not mentioned.

Source: Ming Pao #Jun13
https://news.mingpao.com/pns/%e6%b8%af%e8%81%9e/article/20220613/s00002/1655058002382/

#Education #Textbook #Brainwashing #AntiELAB #HongKongProtests

#Censorship #Education
Authorities Remove Teaching Materials on Human Rights and Protesting in Hong Kong

Source: Mingpao #June4

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#Censorship #Education
Authorities Remove Teaching Materials on Human Rights and Protesting in Hong Kong

The Education Bureau (#EDB) in Hong Kong has been promoting values education in recent years, and it is rating the "National identity" and "law-abiding" as one of the most important values.

It is also found that some learning and teaching resources under the "Human Rights Education" category have been chopped with the latest website update, including group projects to collect press clippings for demonstrations, studying "why protesters have their demands", etc.

As the 33rd anniversary of the June Fourth Incident approaches, the timing of this update becomes sensitive, though the Education Bureau said yesterday that the recent update "has nothing to do with the June Fourth Incident, so there's no need to make unnecessary speculations".

In the Education Bureau's original framework, students are expected to "respect human rights". These wordings were removed in the pilot version of the "Values Education Curriculum Framework" launched last year.

In addition, the recommendation to students to "cherish freedom and respect the freedom of others" through the #RTHK programme "City Forum" was also removed.

A primary school principal, who did not wish to be named, said she felt helpless about the change in the teaching resources. She said that despite the clear new content, some of the removed items should be available for teaching, but becoming a grey area after the #NationalSecurityLaw came into effect. She worried that teaching such materials might touch on sensitive topics and lead to "consequences".

"For example, teachers should have taught the June 4 incident on June 4, but now they feel that they could no longer teach it under the National Security Law. There's a lot of pressure on the schools and the teachers, that we don't know if anyone would complain about what we teach to the authority," she said.

Source: Mingpao #Jun04

#NSL #Education #June4

https://bit.ly/3yiZ0yo

Hong Kong's “National Education Calendar” suggests discussing #ChineseCommunistParty development and watching three "patriotic anti-Japanese" films a year

In a letter to all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, the Education Bureau (#EDB) "strongly recommended" schools to "fully and systematically" implement learning activities for #NationalSecurityEducation.

The bureau attached a calendar of "important dates" on the national education curriculum, as well as suggested learning activities for each. These recommendations include watching patriotic or anti-Japanese war movies on three memorial dates related to the anti-Japanese war; holding memorial ceremonies on "mourning day for Nanjing Massacre Victims"; celebrating the "102nd Anniversary of the founding of the #CCP" with discussions on the Party's development, etc.

The EDB had also made it mandatory for all primary and secondary schools to fly the Chinese flag on all school days, as well as to hold a weekly flag-raising ceremony, complete with singing the Chinese national anthem. Secretary of Education Christine Choi says that, as the youth is the future pillars of society, schools must instill in students the concept of the nation, as well as national identity and pride, in order to develop them into a new generation of "knowledgeable, responsible youths who love the country and love Hong Kong".

[Editor's notes: Many China-produced television dramas and films about fighting the Japanese during World War 2 are characterized by their nationalistic nature. They are also known for "over-the-top violence and implausible plot events." For more information, check out this report by Hong Kong Free Press:

Patriotic comedies? Japanese author compiles an encyclopaedia of Chinese anti-Japan dramas
https://hongkongfp.com/2018/05/06/patriotic-comedies-japanese-author-compiles-encyclopaedia-chinese-anti-japan-dramas/ ]

Source: In-Media HK #Aug02
https://bit.ly/3zSgzGw

#Education #EducationBureau #NationalSecurityLaw #AntiJapan #Brainwashing #Nationalism

#HongKong Government publishes "correct" view of Hong Kong #History, claims 1997 was not a "#handover"

In the name of reforming the secondary school curriculum, the Hong Kong government had replaced Liberal Studies with “Civic and Social Development”. The textbook content has also been changed to explicitly state that Hong Kong was never a British colony.

In an article uploaded to its website on August 2, 2022, the Education Bureau (#EDB) explained the government's official version of history, saying that the ceremony on 1st July 1997 was not a “handover of Hong Kong” but a “transfer of sovereignty”. The education bureau argues that denying Hong Kong being a former British colony doesn’t mean it rejects Hong Kong’s history of being occupied by Britain, but stresses that the word “colony” was inappropriate.

The 1,500-word article is available in Chinese only.

Source: In-Media #Aug02
https://bit.ly/3OMSxRr

#Education #CCP #EducationBureau #BritishColony #NationalSecurityEducation #RewritingHistory

#UniversalValues #Education #Hopology
Hong Kong Parent Produces Children's Books to Teach Universal Values

Sources: Commons HK, #Aug1

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#UniversalValues #Education #Hopology
Hong Kong Parent Produces Children's Books to Teach Universal Values

In recent years, the socio-political environment in Hong Kong has deteriorated continuously , especially after the elimination of general studies and addition of national security education into Hong Kong's school curriculum.

Many parents came to realize the importance of teaching their children universal values and basic concepts such as society and justice, some of them introducing these ideas to their children even during the pre-school years.

Bonnie, a mother of two daughters, told reporters that she has always been telling bedtime stories to her daughters, and often pondered about what kind of stories are suitable for them. 

As democracy and freedom are being eroded in Hong Kong, she felt that she may not even be able to speak up on these topics in the future.

This led to her publishing a series of three children’s picture books on election, freedom, and justice, which is now available for sale at #Chickeeduck stores, as well as Bonnie's website "Hopology": 
https://shop.hopelab.co/product/bonnies-book/

"A good picture book should be useful for both adults and children.  It should be interesting for both," Bonnie said.

Different age groups may be interested in different aspects of the topic, she added, though picture books are made first and foremost for children. 

Questions at the end of the book also lead readers to reflect on the story, and to use their imagination to understand abstract ideas.

Bonnie began creating picture books in 2019, her first book aiming to explain the pandemic to her two daughters.  She subsequently released her work online as an illustrated e-book, thinking that "since I already told [the story] to two people, I might as well tell it to the world."  She was surprised at the overwhelming responses from readers; her books had even been adapted by some schools as teaching materials. 

This encouraged her to continue writing picture books, sharing with the world the stories she wrote to teach her daughters.

Sources: Commons HK, #Aug1
cmmns.co/XccyQ

Hopology Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/hopology.hk/posts/pfbid0tKXTNnS1SJ1RpgX91pDAuVYd2LcrMCWJKVUfG6x7yWw5LHD933iicXfFefbDTw5vl

#ChildrensBooks #UniversalValues #Education #Hopology

Hong Kong Schools Schedule National Security Education Activities, Mainland Exchange Tours

source: In-Media HK #Sep04

#NationalEducation #NationalSecurityLaw #NationalFlagLaw #Education #Mainlandization

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Hong Kong Schools Schedule National Security Education Activities, Mainland Exchange Tours

Following the Education Bureau's (#EDB) push to increase emphasis on "Citizenship and National Security Education", many Hong Kong schools have scheduled numerous activities around patriotic topics.

Read more:
Hong Kong's “National Education Calendar” suggests discussing #ChineseCommunistParty development and watching three "patriotic anti-Japanese" films a year
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/866

According to the "Primary School Profiles 2022" published by the EDB in September, these activities include exchange trips with schools in mainland China and quiz competitions. Out of the 500-plus primary schools in Hong Kong, 59 will be organizing flag-raising teams this year.

HKFEW Wong Cho Bau School, run by the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers (#HKFEW), plans to establish exchange tours with sister schools in mainland China. The school aims to "deepen the students' knowledge of the history and culture of the motherland" through poetry reading, studying Chinese music and water painting.

Alliance Primary School in Kowloon Tong, ranked among the top primary schools in the city, will host a "Life in the Mainland Experience Tour" in primary year 5, "to let students gain a deeper understanding of student life in poorer areas, and to learn to give and be thankful". ELCHK Hung Hom Lutheran Primary School will have "scholarship tours", sending students abroad on exchanges with sister schools in places such as Canada and Beijing, so they could learn more about the world and the motherland. Several schools belonging to the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals will also participate in the EDB's mainland exchange program.

Many schools have followed the EDB's suggested calendars and planned events on "important dates". ELCHK Faith Love Lutheran School explains: "Through activities such as Nanjing Massacre memorial day, constitution day, flag-raising ceremonies, and Speeches under the National Flag, students will learn National Security Education, and develop their concept of their country and respect for rule of law."

[editor's note: "Speeches under the National Flag" is a routine part of flag-raising ceremonies in China's schools, featuring speeches by teachers and outstanding students, as well as individuals deemed "model workers" by the Communist Party. The practice is prescribed under China's National Flag Law, so that students from kindergarten onward could "develop a sense of duty to love the country."]

In addition to events on "important dates", many schools are integrating national security education into their regular curriculum. Diocesan Girls' Junior School and SKH Chi Fu Chi Nam Primary School are among the schools who stated this intention.

source: In-Media HK #Sep04

https://bit.ly/3CXtNDM

#NationalEducation #NationalSecurityLaw #NationalFlagLaw #Education #Mainlandization