Mass protest against brainwashing of national education

It was 33 degrees Celsius today. Many parents brought their babies and children with them and took to the streets, demanding the abolishment of national education which will be compulsory in three years in both primary schools and secondary schools. The organizer had expected 10,000 people to join the march. 90,000 people turned out in sweltering heat.Currently there is already civic and national education in schools. But the government wants to make national education an independent subject and has sponsored pro-Beijing groups to make biased national education material. It is no doubt that it is a political assignment from Beijing that Hong Kong government must push ahead with the national education so that Hong Kongers have a stronger sense of their Chinese identity. (Recent polls have pointed to the low percentage of HongKongers identifying themselves as Chinese).

Even the current curriculum touching on national education focuses very much on encouraging the identifying of oneself as Chinese and being proud of being Chinese. What would it be like if the national education becomes an independent subject that needs assessment?  The fear of many parents that their children will be brain washed by the national education, is so real.

A high school student was making a speech against national education, saying that receiving national education is like being addicted:

Journey to Hong Kong
A blog about travel to Hong Kong, and more!