Stop brainwashing students
Updated: 2013-09-04 06:44
(HK Edition)
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Recently some organizations and social dignitaries have expressed deep concern over a trend among politically biased school teachers to force-feed students with their own political values.
The fact is such worries are not at all paranoia, as many general knowledge (GK) classes in local primary and secondary schools are being hijacked by politics. Some school teachers with political affiliation have not only filled students' minds with political bias via the GK class but also told them to take part in the illegal "Occupy Central" campaign, which will inevitably ruin many students' future.
Because there is no effective regulation over the GK class in schools, relevant authorities should issue a clear guideline on the content of such textbooks and teaching aids for schools to follow in delivering GK to prevent the class from being hijacked by politics.
The GK class in senior middle school is made up of six parts, one of which is "Hong Kong Today", but quite a few GK teachers have been focusing this part on political events in recent years and imposing their own political bias on their students in class. Given the considerable freedom they have in deciding what and how to teach GK classes and the fact that they are in control of the students' scores, GK teachers can inject their own political inclination into their students' minds in a process comparable to brainwashing. Some teachers use "experiencing politics" as an excuse to force students to join political activities organized by opposition parties while the students cannot refuse for fear of being marked down on their score cards.
The Professional Teachers' Union, which is controlled by the opposition camp, has compiled a set of politically biased teaching materials for GK classes in local schools to hoodwink students into joining the "Occupy" illegal movement. Even after some modifications under public pressure, the "textbook" remains a radical ad glamorizing "Occupy". It's high time such political indoctrination in schools is stopped.
This is an excerpted translation of a Wen Wei Po editorial published on Sept 3.
(HK Edition 09/04/2013 page9)