Ref: EDB(CD)PSHE/ADM/150/1/28(6) Government of the HKSAR Education Bureau 4 February 2021
Education Bureau Circular No. 2/2021
National Security Education in School Curriculum -
Implementation Mode and Learning and Teaching Resources
[Note: This circular should be read by－
(a) Supervisors and Heads of All Primary and Secondary Schools (including Special Schools)－for action;
(b) Heads of Sections－for information.]
Summary
This is to inform heads of primary and secondary schools about matters relating to the implementation mode of national security education as well as the relevant learning and teaching resources.
Details
2. Safeguarding national security is the constitutional responsibility of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and also the common obligation of all Hong Kong residents. The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the National Security Law (NSL)) has been implemented. As stipulated in Article 10 of the NSL, “The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall promote national security education in schools and universities and through social organisations, the media, the internet and other means to raise the awareness of Hong Kong residents of national security and of the obligation to abide by the law”. It is the responsibility of schools to implement national security education through the school curriculum. National security education is a part of, and inseparable from, national education. The fundamentals of national security education are to develop in students a sense of belonging to the country, an affection for the Chinese people, a sense of national identity, as well as an awareness of and a sense of responsibility for safeguarding national security. It should enable students to become good citizens who have a sense of national identity, show respect for the rule of law and abide by the law. National security education is not confined to learning the provisions of the NSL. It should cover its legislative background and rationale, and enable students to understand different aspects of national security, such as ecological security, economic security, cultural security and cybersecurity, all of which are integral to the national security framework.
3 . To facilitate the systematic and comprehensive planning and implementation of national security education in schools, the Education Bureau (EDB), based on the implementation mode of Constitution and Basic Law education (CBLE), has newly compiled the Curriculum Framework of National Security Education in Hong Kong to illustrate related topics, teaching foci and learning elements on national security in the existing primary and secondary school curricula. Building on their implementation of CBLE, schools can adopt a
“multi-pronged and co-ordinated” approach to promoting national security education holistically through related Key Learning Areas/subjects, values education (including moral, civic and national education), as well as learning activities within and beyond the classroom at different learning stages of the primary and secondary levels (lower primary, upper primary, junior secondary and senior secondary) according to students’ cognitive abilities. National security education should strengthen students’ understanding of the rule of law, national conditions, and enable them to understand the importance of national security. It should also enhance students’ sense of national identity and facilitate their development of important concepts such as nationhood, “One Country, Two Systems”, rule of law, rights and duties, responsibility, commitment, respect for others and self-discipline.
4 . This circular provides schools with the subject frameworks for General Studies at the primary level as well as Geography and Biology at the secondary level as examples to illustrate the learning and teaching foci of national security education in different subjects, elucidating to schools how the elements of national security education can be integrated organically in and connected naturally with the curriculum contents of various subjects to enhance students’ sense of national identity. The EDB will release successively the national security education curriculum frameworks for other subjects.
5. To support the smooth promotion of national security education in schools, the EDB is renewing/enriching related learning and teaching resources. At the junior secondary level, we have added a 3-hour “Supplement: National Security” to the existing 15-hour module
“Constitution and the Basic Law”. At the primary level, we have newly developed an audio picture book “Let’s Learn about National Security”. There will be timely dissemination of new learning and teaching resources to schools through the Circular Memorandum on “Distribution of Learning and Teaching Materials by Curriculum Development Institute”.
6. The above-mentioned newly compiled curriculum frameworks and learning and teaching resources have been uploaded to the EDB website. For details, please refer to the Annex.
Enquiry
7. For enquiries, please contact Mr WONG Wang-fai (tel.: 2892 5864) or Dr FONG Yiu- chak (tel.: 2892 5735) of the Personal, Social and Humanities Education Section, Curriculum Development Institute, Education Bureau.
Dr Gloria P W CHAN for Secretary for Education
Annex
The following national security-related curriculum documents and learning and teaching resources have now been uploaded to the EDB website. Please visit the following websites or scan the QR code on the right.
Website QR Code
Curriculum Document
Hong Kong Curriculum Framework of National Security Education (Chinese version only)
https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/
tc/curriculum-
development/kla/pshe/national- security-
education/nse_framework.pdf
General Studies
Curriculum Framework of National Security
Education (P.1-6) (Chinese version only)
https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/
tc/curriculum-
development/kla/pshe/national- security-
education/nse_subject_framework_
gs.pdf
Geography Curriculum Framework of National Security Education (S.1-6) (Chinese version only)
https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/
tc/curriculum-
development/kla/pshe/national- security-
education/nse_subject_framework_
geography.pdf
Biology Curriculum Framework of National Security Education (S.4-6) (Chinese version only)
https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/
tc/curriculum-
development/kla/pshe/national- security-
education/nse_subject_framework_
biology.pdf
Learning and Teaching Resources
Let’s Learn about National Security
(Audio Picture Book)
(Cantonese)
https://emm.edcity.hk/media/1_tjh0 ht5c
(Putonghua)
https://emm.edcity.hk/media/1_z8m a3ren
(English)
https://emm.edcity.hk/media/t/1_vb ukjhmx
Learning and Teaching Resources for
“Constitution and the Basic Law” – 2.
Relationship between the Central Authorities and the HKSAR – “Supplement:
National Security”
(Chinese version only)
https://www.edb.gov.hk/tc/curriculu m-development/kla/pshe/basic-law- education/constitution-
basiclaw/index.html
