Govt establishes patriotic education working group

The government on Monday announced the establishment of a working group on patriotic education, in a move intended to bring education here in line with the new Patriotic Education Law of the People's Republic of China. Chief Executive John Lee had said in his Policy Address last year that patriotic education would be rolled out and a working group would be set up to strengthen national identity and appreciation of Chinese culture. In a statement, the authorities said the working group was set up under the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee, to coordinate the work of government departments and non-governmental organisations in taking forward patriotic education. Chief Secretary Eric Chan, who's also the chairman of the committee, said promotion of patriotic education should be conducted in a variety of ways. "Patriotic education is rich in content, covering the history, culture, traditions and values, and symbols and signs of our country. It focuses on cultivating national awareness and sense of civic responsibility among all citizens," he said. "The working group will focus efforts on four aspects, namely school education; local community; history, politics, economy and culture; and media publicity." The government said the group will assist in formulating plans and strategies for promoting patriotic education in the SAR. The nation's new law on patriotic education took effect on January 1 after it was approved by the National People's Congress Standing Committee in October. It includes specific provisions on patriotic education for different groups, including people in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's sole delegate to the National People's Congress Standing Committee and DAB lawmaker, Starry Lee, is the convenor of the working group. Official members include secretaries and directors of various govenment bureaux, while non-official members include the chairman of the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education, Stanley Choi, associate vice president of the Lingnan University, Lau Chi-pang, and a former president of the Law Society, Melissa Pang.