On Thursday, local media reported that publishers in Hong Kong have been asked to remove ‘sensitive’ content from secondary school textbooks.
In order to tighten the city’s academic freedom after the passage of
draconian new security law.
Topic teaching critical thinking to teenagers such as Civil Disobedience, certain protest, and slogans or even some political party names have been deleted from textbooks.
Hong-Kong’s Beijing appointed government said edits were necessary “with a view to sieving out the inaccurate parts from the
past”.
Hong Kong removes 'sensitive' content from school textbooks https://t.co/8prmmIe5IQ pic.twitter.com/Cmb7czZeEt
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) August 20, 2020
Rocked by months of violent protests demanding democratic reform and police accountability, censorship is the newest move in a campaign to eliminate dissent in free-wheeling city.
With education being a target of Beijing’s ire, pre-established politicians have started lashing out on city schools for offering aid to protestors.
Hong Kong Professional Teacher’s Union (HKPTU) said the city’s Education Bureau, whose consultancy service demanded the changes were guilty of political censorship.
“It waters down or even distorts reality in society,” HKPTU said, calling for authorities to guarantee academic freedom in the territory.
