Teachers in Hong Kong are reportedly accused of lacking knowledge of national security education

The report on the Chinese Communist Party's Yao Dao Primary School in Tin Shui Wai said middle management's understanding of national security education was patchy and only a few subjects included elements of the subject.

“Schools need to strengthen middle management’s understanding of national security education so that they can review the curriculum for each subject and select appropriate topics to naturally connect the subject [national security education]”, it was said.

The allegations were expressed in the third report of the Ministry of Education's commission of inquiry into schools, which was published on Thursday and covers 44 schools.

The review of SKH Holy Cross Primary School in Kowloon City said that teaching on national security issues was not thorough enough and the school needed to improve teachers' understanding of the subject to instill greater awareness among students of the need to safeguard national security.

According to the authorities, none of the schools made optimal use of the planning calendar to improve students' knowledge.

“These activities allow students to reflect on their contribution to society and the country,” the office added.

The first group of reports were published in May and the second group in June, each covering ten schools.

From 2021, schools have been asked to adhere to the annual calendar prepared by the education authorities.

The calendar for the next school year includes 27 important days and events so that schools can plan their events accordingly.

The Ming Tao Primary School of the Lutheran Church of Hong Kong and Macau in Tseung Kwan O was also criticized.

The report on the school said teachers generally had an inadequate understanding of national security issues and needed to expand their knowledge to increase their effectiveness.

“In class, teachers do not yet link the learning content in a natural way [with the national education elements] and the appropriate campus atmosphere has yet to be created,” the report continues.

Secondary schools were also criticized.

The CNEC Lau Wing Sang Secondary School report states that teachers need to learn how to implement national security education from the perspectives of “knowledge, emotion and action”.

Officials said the Chai Wan school should learn from schools with successful experiences.

The office told Henrietta Secondary School in North Point that it needed to plan how to incorporate elements of national security education into selected subjects to help teachers.

The Mission Covenant Church Holm Glad College in Kwun Tong was also attacked in its report.

The office said that few subjects included aspects of national security training and the school was also advised to follow the events calendar.

But the reports did not only focus on failings in national security education; an elite Catholic school was also criticized for problems in other areas.

Holy Angels Canossian School in Hung Hom, known for its academic excellence, has been criticised for its lack of coordination with pre-schools as well as with St Mary's Canossian College in Tsim Sha Tsui, its associated secondary school.

“The school’s assessment policies and non-school day activity arrangements fail to meet the abilities and needs of students,” the report continues.

“It needs to be reviewed as soon as possible to give students space to build a solid foundation for the development of a holistic personality.”

In addition, the school was informed by the school authorities that it had to implement its diversified teaching and learning concept.

“This included designing challenging tasks and questions to give students more opportunities for exchange and discussion,” the report says.

The school had not uploaded the full report to its website by Friday afternoon.

The reviews are part of the framework for school development and accountability introduced by the Office in the 2003/2004 school year.

Following the 2022 Government Statement, an enhanced programme was launched to increase the responsibility of teaching staff in publicly funded schools in providing quality school education and national security education.

Schools were also required to submit their full reports to key stakeholders and were encouraged to upload the documents online.

The review was carried out by evaluating information provided by schools, observing lessons and other school activities, and by interviewing school management, teachers, parents and students.