Eighty-six percent of schools have faced difficulties in carrying out national security education, according to a survey by the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers.
The pro-establishment teachers' union asked 315 kindergarten, secondary and special schools from October 4 to 13 on their teachers' opinions towards education on national affairs.
Lack of relevant teaching resources and teachers still having to master relevant knowledge are the two main factors cited by those who have admitted facing difficulties .
When teachers were asked about their confidence level in teaching national security-related topics, 29 percent said they were extremely confident while 64 percent described their confidence level as "just alright."
"The figures show that teachers' confidence in teaching national security-related topics needs to be strengthened," the federation said.
Tang Fei, the federation's vice-chairman, said many teachers lack adequate legal knowledge. Only a few teachers with a legal background choose to teach in secondary and primary schools, he added, so it is understandable that the others do not have enough confidence when teaching about the constitution and Basic Law.
Tang suggested that the government establish a support center to assist schools in promoting "patriotic education" and hold training sessions for teachers.
The federation also suggested primary schools add middle management positions for planning national security education.
The survey was also conducted for the federation to understand how schools celebrated the National Day this year.
The majority of the schools, 84 percent, held a flag-raising ceremony on National Day. More than half of the teachers, 54 percent, said the celebratory events were grander than last year.
Separately, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah wrote on her blog yesterday that a training course covering the concept of the rule of law, Constitution, Basic Law and national security attracted more than 200 teachers, including school principals.
"The teachers who completed [the Reinforcing the Rule of Law training course] are expected to set a good example to their students," Cheng blogged.
Lack of relevant teaching resources and teachers still having to master relevant knowledge are the two main factors cited by those who have admitted facing difficulties .
When teachers were asked about their confidence level in teaching national security-related topics, 29 percent said they were extremely confident while 64 percent described their confidence level as "just alright."
"The figures show that teachers' confidence in teaching national security-related topics needs to be strengthened," the federation said.
Tang Fei, the federation's vice-chairman, said many teachers lack adequate legal knowledge. Only a few teachers with a legal background choose to teach in secondary and primary schools, he added, so it is understandable that the others do not have enough confidence when teaching about the constitution and Basic Law.
Tang suggested that the government establish a support center to assist schools in promoting "patriotic education" and hold training sessions for teachers.
The federation also suggested primary schools add middle management positions for planning national security education.
The survey was also conducted for the federation to understand how schools celebrated the National Day this year.
The majority of the schools, 84 percent, held a flag-raising ceremony on National Day. More than half of the teachers, 54 percent, said the celebratory events were grander than last year.
Separately, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah wrote on her blog yesterday that a training course covering the concept of the rule of law, Constitution, Basic Law and national security attracted more than 200 teachers, including school principals.
"The teachers who completed [the Reinforcing the Rule of Law training course] are expected to set a good example to their students," Cheng blogged.