Strengthening national security education among HK youths essential: HK educators

It's essential to strengthen Hong Kong youths' national security education, which both benefits teenagers' growths and safeguards Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, experts from Hong Kong's educational circle told Xinhua on the occasion of the fifth National Security Education Day.

Hong Kong's months-long social unrest involving some young people has shown that these teenagers lack the awareness of the significance and seriousness of national security, and the reverence for relevant laws, Chairman of Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers Wong Kam-leung said.

He said that China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government ought to promote the understanding of the relationship between national security and Hong Kong's prosperity among various social circles in Hong Kong, especially among young people, and Hong Kong's responsibility and obligation to safeguard national security under the Constitution and Hong Kong's Basic Law, thus forming a social atmosphere where people consciously safeguard national security.

Hong Kong Higher Education Convergence's secretary-general Chow Man-kong stressed that some young people have little knowledge about national security and are easily misled by rumors spreading on social media, which possibly lead them to irrational actions.

"Therefore enhancing national security awareness among youths is the top priority," Chow said.

Nicholas Muk, a teacher from Hong Kong's Pui Kiu middle school, pointed out that Hong Kong's younger generation need to understand that it's their basic responsibility and obligation to safeguard national security, which includes military, sovereignty, science and technology, finance and public securities.

Looking back on history, only in a prosperous and strong nation can people lead a happy life, Muk said, adding that young people should uphold national security consciously.

The principal of Hong Kong's Heung To Secondary School (Tseung Kwan O) Tang Fei said that firstly educators should raise their awareness of national security and enhance accurate understanding of the importance and necessity to safeguard national security under "one country, two systems".

Meanwhile, the education bureau for the HKSAR government should systemize and generalize national security-related knowledge, allowing the educational circle to refer to these knowledge when teaching national security classes.

Hong Kong College of Technology's principal Chan Cheuk-hay believed that cultivating Hong Kong youths' national concept and educating them with national security are necessary steps for them to form lofty values and views of the world.

Young people are the future of Hong Kong, and the successful implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle is part of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people, Chan said.

The works of national security education must be done well no matter what kind of difficulties and challenges people will face, he added.