Students at a pro-Beijing school in Hong Kong spent half of Friday’s National Constitution Day being drilled in patriotic lessons during which they had to express their love for the law and for China, underscoring growing friction over what opponents say is propaganda not education.

Schools faced pressure to celebrate the annual event after Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung said on Thursday that it would be a good opportunity for students to build their national identities.

The day at the HKFEW Wong Cho Bau Secondary School in Tung Chung was filled with various patriotic activities, including competitions related to the Chinese constitution.

The school’s principal Wong Kam-leung is also chair of the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, which sponsors the school.

A flag-raising ceremony was held at 9 a.m. in the school hall, with 20 students marching to the national anthem while carrying the Chinese flag. Before they marched, Wong asked the flag bearers, “What are you?” They all replied in unison: “Chinese.”

Teachers attended the event, which was livestreamed for the students. Before the ceremony, the students were reminded to stand up and sing the anthem.

This Friday was especially significant as the first National Constitution Day since Hong Kong enacted the national anthem and national security laws, Wong said in a speech. He produced copies of the Chinese constitution and Hong Kong’s Basic Law, telling students that the former was the “mother” of the latter. Young people must gain more knowledge about the constitution in light of last year’s protests in Hong Kong, he said.

Later, during online lessons, a teacher played an Education Bureau video about flags to secondary two students. A secondary one teacher asked students if they knew the number of provinces in China.

Secondary five and six students took part in a 3D design exercise to express their love for China and obedience to the law. Other students watched a video about the 30th anniversary of the Basic Law.

In a classroom that was closed to the press, a teacher told students that Hongkongers have the right to freedom of assembly, and asked them to choose what would constitute an illegal gathering from a number of options. The choices included “occupying the street continuously” and “marches should receive prior approval.”

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