The problem of the young generation in Hong Kong is not the problem of education in Hong Kong, but the problem of "politicization of education," said Carrie Lam, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), on Saturday.
She made the remarks at an education forum co-organised by Wen Wei Po newspaper and Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers. The theme of the forum is "The Implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law and National Anthem Ordinance in school education".
The chief executive has sharply criticized the media, accusing it of politicizing the SAR's education system, referring the misrepresentations of history and arbitrary smearing of government and law enforcement agencies by the media.
All these are reflected in textbooks, classroom instructions, test questions and student extracurricular activities, she added.
The political problems of education have close relations with the political problems of Hong Kong, she said and ordered the secretary for education to come up with a comprehensive plan on teaching students about China's Constitution, the Basic Law of the HKSAR, the new National Security Law and the National Anthem Law.
Saying that campuses seem to have become "hotbeds of violence", the chief executive presented a set of data — since June last year, over 3,000 students have been arrested for involvement in illegal and violent assemblies and protests over the extradition bill issue.
She also pointed out that the national security law is a turning point for Hong Kong to get out of the dilemma and turn from chaos to governance. "It is also a turning point for Hong Kong to let the education return to the education, and let the student's study return to the right track," she added.
