'Indoctrination', 'dangerous', 'ineffective': Hong Kong schools anthem law causes concern among experts

Hong Kong public schools are now required to raise the Chinese flag and sing China's national anthem, according to a new law.

The law's purpose is to foster a sense of Chinese identity among students, but the practice has been described by experts as 'dangerous' and 'ineffective'.

A government statement cited by American international broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) said the aim of the policy is to promote national education and help students develop a sense of belonging to the country, an affinity for the Chinese people, and enhance their sense of national identity.

Starting next year, all public kindergartens, primary and secondary schools in the city will be required to display the national flag every school day and conduct a flag-raising ceremony with the singing of the national anthem once a week.

In June of this year, this mandate was announced following the enactment of the national anthem ordinance.
Under this policy, any act considered to be "insulting" to the national anthem or flag is a criminal offence and is punishable.

The policy has been interpreted as a move by the government to muzzle opposition voices.

Teachers and students disagree with the new policy, so they stand and do not sing. Singing the national anthem is not important, it's just a ritual. Do you think that students become pro-China the more they sing?, asks one teacher.

Jan Currie, professor of education at Murdoch University and author of a book on Hong Kong's academic freedom, calls the new school mandate "indoctrination."

"The policy ... is the start of trying to make them [students] Chinese citizens in a one-China nation. It is much like what happened in Eastern Europe in the aftermath of WWII, when the Soviets occupied those countries and began to form the youth into communist-believing children and young adults," said Currie.

Watch |Hong Kong passes Chinese anthem law: National Anthem Bill

"It is a form of soft indoctrination that begins with things like having the children identify with the flag and the national anthem, and then will encroach on the curriculum to introduce Marxism-Leninism-Maoism," she said.