Hong Kong Citizens' press conference blasts politics over education, advocates funds for sponsoring students to study abroad

(20 May)Hong Kong Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung requested the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) to remove a controversial history question in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination, saying that the information provided in the question was midleading and would lead to a biased conclusion. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said “the collapse of education is enough to destroy a country”. She added that she could possibly invoke the HKEAA Ordinance to order the HKEAA to remove the exam question. The Citizens' Press Conference held a press conference in the evening to criticise the authority for politically overriding education’s professionalism and intervening in education affairs, like in the China Cultural Revolution. The Citizens' Press Conference advocated the establishment of an "education fund for freedom" for the new generation to receive education without censorship.

Benson Wong: HKDSE will lose international recognition if Hong Kong Government is determined for mutual destruction

Benson Wong, an academic and a member of Progressive Teachers’ Alliance, said previous cancellation of exam questions by HKEAA had to be processed by the moderation committee according to the mechanism. Questions could only get removed under two circumstances: the question failed to distinguish between candidates’ abilities or ambiguity in wording causing failure to distinguish between candidates' abilities. He denounced Carrie Lam and Kevin Yeung’s use of political criticism to interfere with exam questions, which was no different from the China's Cultural Revolution.

Wong pointed out that political interference will have far-reaching impacts on Hong Kong's education system, and is tantamount to "mutual destruction". He explained that the HKDSE system had been established for less than a decade and its qualifications are recognised by mainstream overseas universities; but if the Hong Kong Government uses “political correctness” as the marking criterion and forces exam questions to be cancelled by political means, international education institutions will re-examine the HKDSE qualifications. 

Criticising the government for "declaring war on intellectuals". Revising exam questions is the “first step” for people from different sectors to "bow down”

Citizens’ Press Conference spokesperson criticised Hong Kong government’s high-profile intervention in education and examination matters as “declaring war on intellectuals”, it would put Hong Kong’s future development behind. He stressed that withdrawal of the question would do irreversible harm to academic independence and autonomy. Once HKEAA sets example to cancel exam questions, there would only be political correctness and teachers' freedom of speech would be suppressed thereafter.

He also pointed out that revision of the exam question was the "first step" in the government's effort to make people from all sectors to "bow down", so that dissidents would not dare to speak up. The spokesperson believed that the Government's inclusion of the phrase, "Hong Kong has been a Chinese territory since ancient times", in junior secondary school history teaching materials is "scarier than the implementation of national education". He believed that the situation would only get worse, calling on parents to consider allowing their children to study overseas, and suggested that the community should set up an "education fund for freedom" to sponsor students to receive freer education overseas, saving the next generation from the clutches of thought.

‘Blue ribbon’ teachers insult students without consequences. Secondary students’ representative Tecca: we won’t sit back and await death.

(Editor’s Note: *Blue ribbon refers to government supporters.)

Students Connect representative Tecca said he wore a Vendetta mask during a strike assembly, but was asked by a teacher to remove it. He was surrounded by a group of teachers after rejecting the teacher’s request.

A disciplinary teacher even threatened students who participated in the social movement, saying, “If you wear a mask again, we will definitely punish you”, but the school has been “turning a blind eye” to teacher's behavior.

He criticised the government’s suggestion that teachers should remain politically neutral, which caused ‘yellow ribbon’ teachers to be too afraid to speak out because of white terror, and even risk of being fired. He also mentioned that there is a lot of evidence that ‘blue ribbon’ teachers are verbally abusing, targeting and even threatening students without being punished, questioning "how fair is this government?”.

*Yellow ribbon: people who support democracy and the Hong Kong movement

Tecca added that his school’s Chinese essay question required students to show their care for fellow citizens in Wuhan, and his assignments also featured Mainland Chinese terms such as “充電寶 (power bank)”, “高富帥 (tall, rich and handsome)” and “taobao”. A newly revised Chinese history textbook even says "Hong Kong has been a Chinese territory since ancient times". He suspects that the Hong Kong government is trying to incorporate the Basic Law into textbooks discreetly. 

Carrie Lam’s described the current education system as a “chicken coop without a roof” and said she intended to revise the Liberal Studies teaching materials. In response, Tecca said it is only natural to learn about the concepts of free speech and separation of powers through Liberal Studies, criticizing that "only a totalitarian government would say that it’s a ‘chicken coop without a roof’ “. He said that he would continue to fight and won’t “sit back and await death”.

Source: inmediahk 

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