New science classes for Hong Kong primary school pupils to cover country's achievements, importance of subject to national security

Hong Kong primary school pupils will have to understand the country's achievements in science and the subject's importance to national security under a draft curriculum framework released on Tuesday.

The government said in the draft document that a new science subject would be introduced to align with a mainland Chinese directive to "invigorate the country through science and education". It would also deepen STEAM education, improve preparation for secondary school, and nurture research as well as innovation and technology talent.

"Science education in primary schools will also need to be improved with a curriculum that can better meet the needs of students and society, so as to help them face opportunities and challenges in the future," the Education Bureau said in the draft.

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The decision to establish an independent science subject was outlined in this year's policy address. Under the plan, the bureau will axe general studies - launched in 1996 - in primary schools, with separate science and humanities subjects to be brought in from September 2025 as replacements.

The bureau will arrange four consultation sessions with schools this month and in December on the draft frameworks for the two new subjects.

The humanities subject will cover topics such as sex education, sustainable development, healthy lifestyle and financial education.

The draft curriculum framework said content from the science component of general studies would be rearranged for the science subject, while additional content would be grouped under four main areas of life and environment, materials, energy and change, Earth and space, and science, technology, engineering and society.

Overall hours for the subject will take up no less than 7 per cent of total lesson time in a school year. Primary One and Two students will have no fewer than two lessons a week. Pupils in Primary Three to Six will have no fewer than three lessons a week.

According to goals set out in the draft, pupils are expected to "appreciate national achievements" in science, engineering, aerospace and innovation technology to "boost technological confidence", and understand "the importance of science and technology to national interest and security".

The general studies curriculum guide, issued in 2017, said students were only expected to cultivate their national identity and "caring about development of the country and society".

Under the draft curriculum, Primary Three pupils would learn about major infrastructure projects such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge to "appreciate national contributions in engineering development".

Those in Primary Five were expected to know about Hong Kong and mainland scientists such as Charles Kao Kuen and Tu Youyou, as well as their contributions. From Primary Four, students were expected to start learning about the mainland's aerospace missions and their achievements.

Principals the Post spoke to welcomed the draft framework for its comprehensiveness, but some raised concerns over insufficient lesson time and teacher training.

So Ping-fai, a principal and acting chairman of the Subsidised Primary Schools Council, described the bureau's subject reshuffling as "big surgery", and said teachers might face challenges in grasping the requirements in less than two years.

"When will we see textbooks coming out? When will we see teaching activity or experiment recommendations?" So said.

"If the timing is well-coordinated in this 'surgery', I think we can achieve [the change]. But if not, teachers may be very worried," So said.

He urged the bureau to begin teacher training programmes, which run for 45 hours, as soon as possible. So said schools would need at least two to three trained teachers by September 2025 to handle the new subject.

Chu Wai-lam, vice-chairman of the New Territories School Heads Association and headmaster of Fung Kai No 1 Primary School in Sheung Shui, said such support for teachers should continue in the long run.

Principal Polly Chan Suk-yee, vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Aided Primary School Heads Association, was more optimistic, saying two years would be sufficient to retrain general studies teachers and hire suitable candidates.

For the new components and learning goals on national development, the principals said similar content was already taught in schools.

"With the implementation of national security education in schools, we have been teaching such content. It's just that we are moving such content to another subject this time," Chan said.

Education minister Christine Choi Yuk-lin earlier said flexible lesson time in primary schools would be reduced after the introduction of the two new subjects and an ad hoc committee would be set up to discuss the details.

Additional reporting by William Yiu

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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