Schools Can Play Role In Security Law: Kevin Yeung

The Education Secretary, Kevin Yeung, said on Saturday schools had a role to play in educating the community about the national security law that Beijing plans to promulgate for the SAR.

"I think this is more than just school education. It's also about education in the whole community because I believe every citizen also has a responsibility," Yeung told reporters after taking part in a radio programme.

Yeung said that "when the law is enacted and implemented we will see how to explain to our students the essence of the law and also the underlying principles to them in our curriculum".

Yeung didn't give details.

Earlier, Yeung also defended the decision to pull a controversial university entrance examination question on whether Japan did more good than harm to China between 1900 and 1945, saying it wouldn't be fair to grade the question.

Earlier this month, the Education Bureau said the question was biased and hurtful to Chinese people.

The question also angered the Foreign Ministry, and sparked protests outside the offices of the Examinations and Assessment Authority when it met to discuss the issue.

Hong Chan Tsui-wah, the deputy secretary for education, also criticised the question.

Yeung said it wasn't just a matter of "school education - it's also about education in the whole community".

Chan compared it to asking "if taking drugs brings more benefits than problems".

She said the question seemed to imply that the Japanese had done some good when they occupied the mainland - "so that by itself is misleading".

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