Govt backs down on national education

08-09-2012

Protesters rallying outside government headquarters before Chief Executive C Y Leung’s announcement. Photo: RTHK. The Chief Executive, C Y Leung, has dropped plans to force schools to teach “moral and national education”, and to make it an independent subject. He announced that instead schools would have freedom to decide whether to introduce the subject as part of other courses, such as civic education. Mr Leung also said he would not have included the issue in his election manifesto if it had not been a policy of the previous government. The climb-down follows nearly twoweeks of protests against thecontroversial subject outsidethe government headquarters in Admiralty. The original plan was to introducenational education in allprimary schools over the next three years, and in all schools by 2016. But Mr Leung said there would now be no such deadline. Asked why he had made this sudden change one day ahead of the Legislative Council elections, the Chief Executive rejected suggestions that he had receivedinstructions from the centralgovernment. He also reiterated a denial that introducing the subject toschools was a politicaltask given to him by Beijing. Mr Leung said the policy wassomething that he and his government had inherited. “It’s not something of our making”, he continued. “And as soon as we realised that there were opposing and different views in the community, I myself and my team have dealt very quickly with the issue.” Mr Leung called on opponents of national education to stop their protest, hunger strikes and plans to boycott classes. The organisers of the protest against national education said more than 100,000 people gathered outside the government headquarters this evening. The Civil Alliance against National Education welcomed the decision to drop the school deadline. But a spokeswman, Linda Wong, said there were still concerns, since responsibility was being placed on individual schools, which could put them in a difficult position. She added that opponents of the subject had demanded that the controversial curriculum guide be abandoned, but the government had offered only a review.

http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20120908/news_20120908_56_868210.htm

By KELVIN CHAN, Associated Press–4 hours ago 

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong officials backed down Saturday on plans to make students take Chinese patriotism classes following a week of protests in the former British colony sparked by fears of pro-Beijing “brainwashing.”

The semiautonomous Chinese city’s leader, Leung Chun-ying, said it would be up to schools to decide whether to hold the classes. They were to have become a mandatory subject in 2015 after a three-year voluntary period.

Public anger over the classes has been growing for months. Many feared they were a ploy by Beijing authorities to indoctrinate the city’s young into unquestioning support of China’s Communist Party, though Leung and other senior officials denied it.

China regained control of Hong Kong from Britain in 1997 after more than a century of colonial rule, but the city has been allowed to retain a high degree of autonomy, a separate legal system and civil liberties not seen in mainland China, such as freedom of speech.

Leung’s retreat follows a week of protests by thousands in front of government headquarters coinciding with the start of a new school year. Organizers said 120,000 took part on Friday evening, though police put the number at 36,000, local news reports said.

The decision comes a day before elections for the city’s legislature. Sunday’s vote will be the first time the public will be able to choose more than half the seats. Deepening opposition to the education plans could have undermined support for pro-Beijing candidates.

The protesters worried the new subject would be an attempt to indoctrinate the city’s young with nationalist education classes similar to ones used in schools all over China to inculcate support for the Communist government.

The fears rose after a pro-Beijing education group published a pamphlet earlier this year extolling the virtues of one-party rule. The government stressed that the booklet, called “The China Model,” was not part of designated teaching material.

According to curriculum guidelines, students would learn in the classes about China’s political leaders, the contributions they have made and the difficulties and challenges they face. They would also learn how to “speak cautiously,” practice self-discipline and get along well with others in a rational and respectful way.

The controversy is the latest sign of increasing discomfort with mainland China’s growing influence on the city. Hong Kongers have also been perturbed about stunted democratic development and an influx of wealthy mainlanders buying up property and driving up prices.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iZ5wfn46bfpCywnOLcwQRn6SkfdQ?docId=461fe83b706a428690512d91332746f3

Thousands Rally Against Hong Kong Curriculum

By JOYCE LAU

Published: September 3, 2012

Thousands of teachers, parents, students and activists demonstrated over the weekend against proposed Chinese national education in Hong Kong schools, just before the academic year was set to begin Monday.

According to The South China Morning Post , three teenagers were told to end a hunger strike for health reasons, though they were replaced by 10 other protesters. Critics of the curriculum have likened it to brainwashing.

Organizers, including Scholarism , a student advocacy group, said that there were 40,000 protesters. The police in the semiautonomous Chinese city reported a vastly different number of more than 8,000 protesters.

The protest against what is being called “patriotic education” followed a larger rally in late July.

— JOYCE LAU

Canada ‘make-up’ classes disrupted by protesters

Protests have disrupted “make-up” classes that were meant to replace coursework that was missed during mass student demonstrations that dragged on for months across Quebec earlier this year.

As mandated by Bill 78, a controversial Quebec law passed in May , post-secondary institutions have until the end of September to make up those classes.

On Aug. 27, the first day of extra-sessional classes, 19 student protesters were detained inside a Université de Montréal building when about 50 student activists refused to vacate the premises, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. The university said it would suspend the first week of make-up classes for six departments whose student associations favored protest actions, in a move that affected 1,300 of the university’s 40,000 students.

“Winter session needs to be over,” Mathieu Filion, a university spokesman, said in an e-mail about the semester that normally ends in May.

The Université de Québec à Montréal was also forced to suspend about 60 classes last Monday, the CBC and The Montreal Gazette newspaper reported.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/world/asia/04iht-educbriefweb.html

Thousands Rally in Hong Kong Against National Education

Two days ago, a teacher wrote on Facebook that his/her school has received a notice from the Education Bureau asking them to set up a “national education file” for each student. The teacher worries that the future of students will be hurt if they are not “patriotic” enough.

Jillsandy Ho: This is the message from my teacher friend. The wolf CY Leung lies. National education had been started secretly. Don’t be a silent accomplice. See you tonight!

Name (blurred): My school has received a notice from the Education Bureau. From now on, students’ participation on national education activities will have to be entered into the database of the Education Bureau, which will be used in grade promotion and school changing. It means that every student will have a “national education file”, which will probably hurt one’s educational prospect if one is not patriotic enough!

National education has already reached this step, do you believe that the government will discuss its cancellation 3 years later?

(The next two paragraphs are protest info.)

Here’s the guideline on using this national education databse – http://cdr.websams.edb.gov.hk/Files/Others/NEMP_WebSAMS%20Guidelines_E.pdf

Students’ performances in national education mainland programmes will be recorded and sent to the Education Bureau.

On”national education file”, STRN, which is the abbreviation of “student registration number” and same as birth certificate number (minus the bracket), is recorded.

Netizens’ reactions

古: Refuse to tour the former residence of Mao the thief, deduct 10 points; Refuse to shed tears while looking at the thief flag, deduct 5 points…Deducting points endlessly. Perhaps, when one reaches primary 6, one doesn’t have enough point to get in secondary school…

Wong: The record contains ID number, therefore, without doubt, it will follow you through life!

Eddie: National education isn’t just a curriculum. It is suspected to be a path to create personal political file. If this implements officially, our next generation will be controlled forever, horrible and dark! Good life will be isolated from them forever, are you cruel enough to let it happen?

Columnist and scholar Chin Wan: Personal political file – the Communist Party uses secret psychic record to rule its people. This is a soul-summoning card that is used to make a fool of people. After the Communist Party of East Germany was overthrown, people found that very ridiculous comments were found on their personal files. This shocked people and affected their lives – made them step into a tragic fate. For instance, people could never find good jobs. These were all because of these political files.

UPDATED: From the Facebook of the student leader of Scholarism, Joshua Wong,

Joshua Wong: I have got info that some schools received inquiry calls from the Education Bureau asking numbers of students who brought black bands to school. (black band to against national education)

http://badcanto.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/hong-kong-national-education-personal-patriotic-record/

http://hongwrong.com/national-education-china/

曝光中共活摘器官的電影韓國各地全面上映

一部揭露中共活摘器官的韓國電影《同謀者們》，8月30日開始在韓國各地450多個大型影院同時上映。圖為該電影的海報。（攝影：全宇/大紀元）

【大紀元2012年08月31日訊】（大紀元記者文龍韓國首爾報導）一部揭露中共活摘器官的韓國電影《同謀者們》，8月30日開始在韓國各地450多個大型影院同時上映。電影根據一名韓國女子在中國遭活摘器官的真實事件，描述黑社會組織與中國大陸海關、醫院、公安等部門聯手，從事人員綁架到活摘器官牟取暴利的血腥犯罪過程。

一部揭露中共活摘器官的韓國電影《同謀者們》，8月30日開始在韓國各地450多個大型影院同時上映。圖為該電影的海報。（攝影：全宇/大紀元）

《同謀者們》源於一個真實的故事

中共與黑道勾結活摘器官的事件，在韓國一度有大量報導。2009年曾有報導稱，韓國的一對新婚夫婦去中國旅遊時，新娘被綁架。當再次找到這位新娘時，已經是一具屍體，而且所有內臟器官不翼而飛。

韓國導演金泓善就是根據這個真實的事件，震驚之餘拍攝了這部影片《同謀者們》。在該電影上映前，金泓善查閱了大量與之相關新聞，與攝製組輾轉於韓國與中國兩地， 最終完成了這部首次披露中共器官黑幕的韓劇。

金泓善此前表示，希望通過這部電影，能把全面扎根於社會深層中，秘密進行器官販賣的事實真相披露出來。

血腥場面超出想像 演員犯難

在《同謀者們》的電影資料介紹中發現，扮演黑社會成員的男主角都是韓國演藝界的實力派演員。在這次詮釋劇中角色的時候，他們感到了前所未有的難度。因為對他們來說，扮演一般的黑幫角色時，可以根據一些有據可查的犯罪事實去模仿、學習，儘快進入角色。

而這一次，當他們站到一個被綁架者面前，要把她活生生地開膛破肚盜取器官時，在這種血淋淋的場景中如何詮釋參與活摘器官的犯罪者那種扭曲的心態和麻木邪惡的表情，讓他們倍感詮釋角色難度之大，因為這種觸目驚心的犯罪活動超出了人的想像。

正如男主角任昌丁所說：「無視人性的尊嚴，做那種事的那種人，如果真的存在的話，那根本不是人，是畜生！」

《同謀者們》僅現中共活摘冰山一角

實際上《同謀者們》披露的僅僅是中共活摘器官的冰山一角，更多更慘烈的犯罪事實，早已在被非法關押的法輪功學員身上發生著。

2006年，一位曾參與活摘法輪功學員眼角膜的中國醫生的太太逃往美國披露內幕後，一度令全球各界為之震驚，只是因這種罪惡超出了人類的想像，多數人不敢相信。

隨後，加拿大前亞太司司長大衛‧喬高（David Kilgour）及人權律師大衛‧麥塔斯（David Matas），以大量的調查事件為依據出版了他們的《調查中共摘取法輪功學員器官的報告》，報告引用了大量調查實例，指證中共活摘法輪功學員器官是真實存在的，是「這個星球上從未有過的邪惡」。

特別是今年2月王立軍逃往美領館事件後，引發中共政治海嘯，薄熙來、周永康等江派死黨迫害法輪功的犯罪事實再次被大量披露出來，中共活摘法輪功學員器官的罪惡漸漸開始浮出水面。

（責任編輯：高靜）

http://tw.epochtimes.com/b5/12/8/31/n3671773.htm