National security education aims to help students develop a sense of national identity.

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung made the remarks at a media session today, adding that national security and national education are closely linked.

“National security is part and parcel of the whole national education. They are very much related.

“We are talking about helping students to develop a sense of national identity, being national citizens, and they have to develop a sense of taking up the responsibility to protect our country.”

When asked if primary school students are too young to learn about national security, Mr Yeung noted that it is a continuous process.

“At the earliest stage, such as primary schools, I think students could start to learn that Hong Kong is part of China, they are Hong Kong residents and at the same time, they are also Chinese citizens.

“Then gradually, they can build on these fundamental concepts. They can start to learn more about the concept of national security and then they will know more about the details of the law as they grow up. That is the whole idea.

“That is why when you look at the curriculum framework in relation to national security education, we are talking about a number of areas spreading across different stages of learning. It is sort of a continuous process. That is part of the education as well - education is about a process, not a single topic.”

Mr Yeung added that the Education Bureau will provide teachers with a lot of factual information about the National Security Law which they can make reference to.