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School activists wage war on national education (source from SCMP City 10-7-2012)

學民思潮 Scholarism

At first, the three teenagers seem like any other secondary school pupils who gossip about their friends when they get together.

But when the topic switches to Hong Kong's controversial national education scheme, a sense of purpose comes over Wong Lee-lee, Luk Suet-yiu and Tommy Cheung Sau-yin.

They are members of the emerging protest group

Scholarism

, which has about 150 secondary school pupils as members.

The organisation wants the national education scheme to be dropped. The government says all public primary schools must start teaching national education by 2015, but critics call it indoctrination.

Scholarism

's activities have not only gained media attention over the past two months, but what they believe is surveillance from authorities.

The group, established in June last year, first gained public attention when a video featuring the organisation's convenor, Joshua Wong Chi-fung, circulated on the internet. The 15-year-old spoke eloquently to reporters about the national education programme after a rally in May, and the video had attracted more than 186,000 hits as of yesterday.

Several high-profile protests recently have been noted by media. On July 2, they were among protesters whose demonstrations forced a halt to a town hall meeting involving Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.

Scholarism

member was pepper-sprayed during a protest outside the Convention and Exhibition Centre on June 30, when President Hu Jintao visited the city. In the past week they have followed the new education minister, Eddie Ng Hak-kim, to radio interviews and other functions, with low-key protests.

But their high profile has come at a price. Wong, a Form Four pupil at United Christian College (Kowloon East), suspected his phone was being monitored by mainland authorities after the July 1 handover march.

There have been really loud echoes in my phone since July 2, he said. I asked people from different political parties and protest groups, and they said it was likely I was being monitored. I am quite scared and surprised. But I will continue to do what I think is right.

Tommy Cheung, 18, a core member of the group studying at the Shun Tak Fraternal Association Leung Kau Kui College, said

Scholarism

had not meant to be radical, although it gave some people that impression at the Tuen Mun town hall meeting.

It was never our intention to halt the meeting, Cheung said. It just happened. The boards [we held up at the meeting] were originally a petition to Ng [to drop national education]. Our position is kind of between the Civic Party and League of Social Democrats, but we don't want to be associated with any political parties.

Wong said the word

Scholarism

means taking school-related issues to an ideological level. The group plans to direct attention to other issues, starting with police powers - after one of their members was pepper sprayed, Cheung said.

Some of the group's members are studying at prestigious schools such as Queen's College, St Francis Canossian College and St Joseph's College. Others are from pro-Beijing schools, such as Fukien Secondary School. Their long-term aspirations are also varied: some want to study politics, while Wong wants to be a nurse and Luk a medical researcher.

The group is planning a march tomorrow, asking for an open dialogue with Ng. The minister said yesterday that the Education Bureau would give advice to the National Education Services Centre this week, after the centre's teaching materials were criticised for being biased.

Michael James

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AD%B8%E6%B0%91%E6%80%9D%E6%BD%AE

Michael James

學民思潮(Scholarism)萬人聯署！支持德育及公民教育科,反對國民教育獨立成科聯盟???
Terminology: (translate.google.com)
Singapore (moe.gov.sg)
(1) civics & moral education ====> 公民與道德教育
(2) national education ====> 國民教育
England (education.gov.uk)
(1) Citizenship Education ====> 公民教育
(2) Citizenship Studies ====> 公民研究
Pls. go to: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/primary
France (education.gouv.fr)
(1) education civique ====> 公民教育
(2) education juridique et sociale ====> 法律和社會教育
Related website:
(1) http://www.iea.nl/iccs_2009.html
(2) http://www.nfer.ac.uk/research/projects/cels/
Ref: wikipedia

Michael James