Hong Kong schools told to notify police if students disrespect Chinese anthem
蘋果日報 2020/06/19 08:40
The Hong Kong government has made it compulsory for schools to display the Chinese national flag and play the national anthem when observing certain holidays, and advised schools to report students to the police if they engaged in serious acts of disrespect toward the anthem.
The Education Bureau on Thursday issued a set of guidelines to all primary and secondary schools stating that schools "must display the national flag and the regional flag as well as play and sing the national anthem" when celebrating New Year's Day, the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on July 1 and National Day on October 1. The guidelines stated that such measures were necessary to "promote national education and enhance students' sense of national identity."
In the circular that was issued, the Education Bureau linked to an FAQ page stating that schools "may consider seeking assistance from the police" if students show disrespect toward the national anthem and when "the case is serious and involves unlawful behaviour" that could not be handled by the schools.
The guidelines also strongly advised schools to hold flag-raising ceremonies during major events, such as the first day of the academic year, graduation or sports day.
The same rules and advice also applied to international schools, the bureau said, adding that students in international schools should "respect the national anthem as the symbol of the country where they are located."
The Education Bureau on Thursday issued a set of guidelines to all primary and secondary schools stating that schools "must display the national flag and the regional flag as well as play and sing the national anthem" when celebrating New Year's Day, the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on July 1 and National Day on October 1. The guidelines stated that such measures were necessary to "promote national education and enhance students' sense of national identity."
In the circular that was issued, the Education Bureau linked to an FAQ page stating that schools "may consider seeking assistance from the police" if students show disrespect toward the national anthem and when "the case is serious and involves unlawful behaviour" that could not be handled by the schools.
The guidelines also strongly advised schools to hold flag-raising ceremonies during major events, such as the first day of the academic year, graduation or sports day.
The same rules and advice also applied to international schools, the bureau said, adding that students in international schools should "respect the national anthem as the symbol of the country where they are located."
The guidelines come after the Legislative Council on June 4 passed the controversial national anthem law, banning insults to the "March of the Volunteers." The law went into effect last Friday.
A secondary-school principal, who asked not to be named, told Apple Daily that very few schools held events on the three holidays specified by the Education Bureau. The government had issued similar guidelines to schools in 2010 but had only advised raising the flag and playing the national anthem without making either action compulsory. According to the principal, the updated rhetoric in Thursday's circular appeared to be little more than a political gesture.
Ip Kin-yuen, a lawmaker representing the education constituency, said no punishment was mentioned for schools that did not observe the new guidelines. He added that schools should handle any possible violations of the national anthem law themselves and consider police assistance only as the final resort.
A secondary-school principal, who asked not to be named, told Apple Daily that very few schools held events on the three holidays specified by the Education Bureau. The government had issued similar guidelines to schools in 2010 but had only advised raising the flag and playing the national anthem without making either action compulsory. According to the principal, the updated rhetoric in Thursday's circular appeared to be little more than a political gesture.
Ip Kin-yuen, a lawmaker representing the education constituency, said no punishment was mentioned for schools that did not observe the new guidelines. He added that schools should handle any possible violations of the national anthem law themselves and consider police assistance only as the final resort.
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