Hong Kong Unrest: Leave or stay? A mother's concern over her kids' education

World
Europe

As protests continue in Hong Kong, parents are feeling concerned about the education of their children and the negative influence that some teachers may have on them. Some even think their kids might be brainwashed by unprofessional teachers. CGTN's Ge Yunfei has a report.

Catherine is a mother of two children.

She was born and raised in Hong Kong.

But now she's very concerned about her kids amid the on-going turmoil in Hong Kong.

CATHERINE MOTHER OF TWO KIDS "There are a lot of rumors in my young kid's Whatsapp group. Some say the FBI came to liberate Hong Kong. Some even say they want to kill Carrie Lam. Though I think these are mainly jokes, I'm still worried. So now I watch my kids very closely these days."

In recent protests, more and more anti-government protesters are increasingly luring children and teenagers to hit the streets with them.

And there is a big campaign of boycotting classes underway in Hong Kong's secondary schools.

CATHERINE MOTHER OF TWO KIDS "Especially in recent years, the politicization of Hong Kong's education has been getting worse. Politics have penetrated schools and classrooms. It prompts lots of teachers to act unprofessionally in classes."

Catherine's son Brian is 12 years old. He used to study in an international school. Now he's in a local secondary school.

BRIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT "First of all, Hong Kong is part of China. Secondly, most of us come from Chinese families. At least I have some Chinese blood in me. That's why I consider myself Chinese."

Catherine says even international schools in Hong Kong teach children to love their own countries.

But now in many local schools, patriotism is gone.

CATHERINE MOTHER OF TWO KIDS "When I was a kid, my teachers taught us to love our country, to love China. But now, since the situation in Hong Kong is so chaotic, I see lots of teachers, media and other organizations inciting frustration and despair towards China and Hong Kong instead of teaching love. I think this is the biggest problem."

Liberal Studies is one of four core compulsory subjects in Hong Kong's Secondary Education system.

It's meant to enhance students' critical thinking abilities.

Catherine showed me a picture of one of Hong Kong's Liberal Studies textbooks.

In the cartoon, it tells students that all street food in China is unsafe because China uses extra antibiotics in its poultry industry.

It will cause incurable diseases.

CATHERINE MOTHER OF TWO KIDS "I think most parents are concerned about the teachers being biased. If the learning materials provided by teachers are saying all the bad things about China from different aspects, then students will memorize these points to get good scores in exams. This is what I call brainwashing."

Catherine says if this situation gets worse, she'll send her kids to school outside of Hong Kong.

CATHERINE MOTHER OF TWO KIDS "If this continues, it will affect my kids a lot, and I won't let them study in Hong Kong anymore because it will obstruct their healthy future development."

Catherine hopes Hong Kong can return to its normal path, for the sake of its own people and her family.

Ge Yunfei, CGTN, Hong Kong.