Preparing Students for Citizenship? Political Education in Hong Kong

Youth Civic Participation: Do Socialising Agents Matter?

“…Civic and citizenship education in Hong Kong has long been criticised by educators and researchers as depoliticisation (see, for example, Lee, 1996;Tse, 1998), both before and after the return of Hong Kong's sovereignty to China, due to teachers' avoidance of teaching political aspects of the curriculum and a lack of critical-thinking and service-learning skills in the curriculum (Ng, 2000;Leung & Ng, 2004). However, this study has demonstrated that there are cases of secondary school teachers believing that the subject of civics should be implemented in a critical and analytical way.…”

“…The 'Civic Education Guidelines' called for 'civic education as a politically socialising force for promoting stability and responsibility', and cautioned against a situation that might lead to motivate students 'with a reforming zeal, prepared to question established authority and introduce radical changes' (Hong Kong Education Department, 1986, p. 9). Tse (1998) has remarked that the paucity of political education helped breed a politically alienated younger generation in the era of colonial rule. Fairbrother (2005) reveals that the redepoliticising of citizenship education in the post-1997 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is remarkably similar to the colonial government, which has rendered relatively strong civil and social, but weak political rights to the people of Hong Kong.…”

Citizenship and Education in Hong Kong: A Review of Contemporary Academic Literature

“…Under the British colonial government, prior to 1984, civics education courses were deliberately depoliticised and focused on the workings of government, rather than the rights of the individuals as citizens of Hong Kong (Alviar-Martin and Baildon, 2016; Chee, 2020; Law, 2004; Lo, 2012; Tse, 1998; Xia, 2016). Civic education was expanded in the run-up to the 1997 handover, with the colonial government seeking to prepare students for the transition by strengthening their knowledge of issues and differences related to Hong Kong and China (Chee, 2020; Fairbrother, 2006a; Tse, 1998).…”

“…Under the British colonial government, prior to 1984, civics education courses were deliberately depoliticised and focused on the workings of government, rather than the rights of the individuals as citizens of Hong Kong (Alviar-Martin and Baildon, 2016; Chee, 2020; Law, 2004; Lo, 2012; Tse, 1998; Xia, 2016). Civic education was expanded in the run-up to the 1997 handover, with the colonial government seeking to prepare students for the transition by strengthening their knowledge of issues and differences related to Hong Kong and China (Chee, 2020; Fairbrother, 2006a; Tse, 1998). The government issued recommendations to schools that citizenship education be delivered through one or more of three channels: across multiple subjects (permeation), integrated into a particular subject (integration), or as a stand-alone subject itself (Fairbrother, 2010).…”