Education Head Warns Pupils Of 'dangerous' Rallies

The Education Secretary, Kevin Yeung, has urged principals, teachers and parents to remind students not to join “potentially dangerous” rallies in the coming days.

In a letter, Yeung called on them to take “concrete action” to protect the students and “defend” schools against interference from political forces.

He pointed out that many protests in recent months ended up as violent clashes. He said he’s worried some underage students might not be mature enough to take part in these events and urged them not to ignore the risks.

The education minister requested schools and parents to remind students not to engage in any illegal act, adding with National Day coming up on October 1, they should teach students of the need to respect the national flag and that it's a crime to desecrate it.

He said he believed teachers in Hong Kong are professional. However, he said the Education Bureau and relevant schools would seriously handle isolated cases in which teachers were involved in misconduct.

Yeung’s letter comes after former Chief Executive CY Leung repeatedly posted messages on his Facebook page, criticising the minister for not firing two teachers who allegedly posted anti-police comments on social media.