Launching ceremony of Territory-wide Inter-school National Security Knowledge Challenge held today (with photos/videos)
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To enhance students’ understanding of the Constitution, the Basic Law and the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL), the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Security Bureau, the Education Bureau (EDB) and the Hong Kong Shine Tak Foundation jointly organised the Territory-wide Inter-school National Security Knowledge Challenge, and held a launching ceremony at the former French Mission Building today (December 3) to tie in with Constitution Day tomorrow (December 4) and National Security Education Day on April 15 next year.
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, said in a video speech that he hopes students can have a deeper understanding of the NSL and the holistic view of national security, as well as learn about the Constitution and the Basic Law through participating in the Challenge. He encouraged the students to share with their family members and friends the knowledge and thoughts acquired from the Challenge, become promoters of national security education and proactively make contributions in safeguarding national security. He also appealed to different sectors of the community for their full support of the legislative exercise on Article 23 of the Basic Law so as to fulfil the constitutional responsibility of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and their civic responsibility as well as obligation in safeguarding national security.
Officiating at the ceremony, the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, pointed out that national security is the cornerstone of national stability. It is not only a legal responsibility for citizens to respect and abide by laws in safeguarding national security, but also a due obligation. Understanding the importance and urgency of national security during school years can help students to cultivate a sense of national identity at an early stage and properly understand our civic responsibilities.
Also officiating at the ceremony, the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, said that the Government has always been coming up with new initiatives on national security education. He noted that the Challenge has combined the professional legal knowledge of the DoJ, the schools’ and students’ networks of the EDB, and the experience in organising inter-school competitions and the resources of the Hong Kong Shine Tak Foundation, with a view to enabling a more profound national security education with a wider coverage.
Addressing the ceremony, the Under Secretary for Education, Mr Sze Chun-fai, said that with the participation from more than 102 000 students from 585 secondary and primary schools, the number of students participating in the online heat round has reached an all-time high. It showed that the education sector has attached great importance to and provided support for promoting national security education.
The Challenge is conducted in the form of a quiz, and is divided into the primary school and secondary school sections, both of which include team and individual competitions. Fifty four secondary and primary schools have advanced into the quarter-finals to compete for the crown.
Highlights of the launching ceremony and the Challenge will be broadcast at 10.30pm on Sundays starting from today till mid-April next year, on the programme “Our Home Our Country” on HOY Infotainment. The programme also comprises a session on national security knowledge to deepen the understanding of national security concepts among members of the public.