Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - After the Catholic Church and the Territory's democratic
movements, it is the turn of the Liberal Party and even educational publishers to
oppose the effect of the new "National Education" school subject in
Hong Kong schools. According
to critics, the subject is too broad and too vague to be inserted in the normal
school curriculum, in addition, as pointed out by the diocese for years, it aims
at "brainwashing" local students.
It
all began with the school reform desired by the Chinese central government in
2002 and launched in 2004, which sets out that in every school - from
elementary onwards - non-defined "national education classes" must be
introduced. Moreover, the topic must be treated as a separate subject.
Last
year, speaking to a forum on education in the Territory, the bishop emeritus Card.
Joseph
Zen Ze-kiun had attacked these arguments that "will only brainwash
students. What did they expect? That we would approve the work of the Communist
Party?". Some
days ago, the diocesan offical for education made it clear that hundreds of Church
schools will not introduce the subject when they reopen in September.
Among
other things, there are no publishers in Hong Kong - even those close to the Beijing government - able
to prepare educational materials for this subject. Ben
Mak, Deputy Regional Director of the Oxford University Press, explains:
"Normally we need two years of preparation. But this subject was
introduced in April for September. We will never be ready on time."
Not
even well-heeled industry sharks have succeeded, many of whom produced several
books along the lines of those in use in mainland China but who have failed to find
any buyers. Shek
Kwok-kei, of Pilot Publishing, explains that his company has spent a year
putting together the materials needed but now the schools "do not want
them. I wanted to be a pioneer, but institutions do not know the game and do
not want to play ".
The
Liberal Party has joined in the deepening row, organizing a rally in front of
the Office for Education in Hong Kong and has
delivering a petition to the local government asking for a new round of
consultations between the parties. Miriam
Lau Kin-yee, Chairman of the party, said: "We are not against the national
education, but we have found many gray areas in educational materials."