Independent thinking:
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam said the whole purpose of moral and national education is to nurture young people to become quality citizens who are prepared to care for their family, and to understand society and the world at large.
Independent thinking:
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam said the whole purpose of moral and national education is to nurture young people to become quality citizens who are prepared to care for their family, and to understand society and the world at large.
Committee to monitor national education launch
July 29, 2012
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam said the Education Bureau will set up a committee with broad representation to monitor the continuous implementation of the moral and national education subject in schools during the three-year initiation period.
In response to a protest concerning the implementation of moral and national education today, Mrs Lam said freedom of speech is one of Hong Kong's core values. She said today's protest was peaceful and the Government would listen to different views and conduct pragmatic follow-up work. The new committee will better garner different opinions.
“When views are expressed to this committee, the Education Bureau will find ways to respond to these views and to assure parents' groups as well as other stakeholders that this curriculum is being taught in exactly the same way that we have said in the guidelines and that is to educate our students to have independent thinking, to be able to analyse situations and come to an objective judgement,” she said.
The subject has been under discussion for a long time, she said, and its aim is to teach students to think independently. She stressed there would be no “brainwashing”. She believed school principals and teachers would adopt an impartial approach in preparing the teaching materials and urged the public to have faith to the Hong Kong education sector.
Mrs Lam emphasised the whole purpose of moral and national education is to nurture young people to become quality citizens who are prepared to care for their family, and to understand society and the world at large. No school would be forced to implement the subject in the coming school year.
Secretary for Education Eddie Ng also said he respected different views from society and understands people's worries. He said the committee would be of wide representation and focus on the subject's implementation.
