Education authority says visits to patriotic pavilion not mandatory

Children wave the flags of China and Macau during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping in Macau in December 2019

For the time being, we will not force students to visit the [future] National Education Exhibition Pavilion,” Cheong Man Fai, head of the Youth Department of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, said yesterday.
An exhibition space is under construction at the Handover Gifts Museum of Macau to show exhibits that convey patriotic messages and concepts. The exhibition will cover Chinese history and the development of the People’s Republic of China, among other elements. It is expected to open later this year.
“The pavilion is yet another channel through which national education is conducted,” Cheong explained, adding that it is complementary to the everyday civic education curriculum.
The department head assured the public that national education will not overshadow the importance of other academic subjects.
“There are curriculum frameworks to determine the weighting of each subjects,” she explained.
“[National education] needs other channels of conveyance because it’s ideological,” Cheong said. “We leave it to schools to decide whether they will bring students to the pavilion.”
Nevertheless, it is normal to have education regarding how to love one’s country, the official described. “Under the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework, patriotism has been a core value in Macau,” the education official said. “It is also a part of the 10-year Outline Plan for Non-higher Education.”
Exhibits at the future National Education Base will be replaced periodically.
“For example, when our country makes leaps in the scientific branches, we will update our exhibits,” the official said in anticipation. “It may make students proud [of China]. The interactions will strengthen students’ patriotic ‘ideology’.”
Yesterday also saw the annual plenary of the Youth Affairs Committee, which covered five topics. Besides the progress of the National Education Exhibition Pavilion, it also discussed the selection of two focus groups on youth affairs, the selection of youth prizes for 2019, seminars on national security and youth affairs, as well as the progress of this year’s Summer Activities.
As for the youth prizes, four organizations were awarded with six prizes, with the Fu Lun Youth Association of Macau and General Association of Chinese Students of Macau winning both the Youth Activities Award and the Civic Education Award. The Bosco Youth Service Network of Macau and the Macau Youth Volunteers Association are the other two entities that also won awards.
With regards to the promotion of knowledge on the defense of national security, the committee suggested that a series of thematic lectures and exchange activities be held in order to provide students with a more comprehensive knowledge of the issue. Anthony Lam & Staff Reporter