Hong Kong students and parents, with popular participation, are conducting nightly peaceful protests in front of the Legislative Council. They are protesting the national education curriculum put forward by the government, which many charge with being an attempt to brainwash the young. The Hong Kong Federation of Students are planning a strike, facilitated by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. There is an array of protesters, from those conducting hunger strikes to those who come by after office hours to join the discourse. Prominent figures, including some lawmakers themselves, speak nightly in front of gathered crowds, who peacefully convene in large numbers. The protests are focused squarely on the national education debate, with the crowds asking the government to ditch the proposed changes. Chief Executive CY Leung has so far refused. One of the reasons for the allegation of brainwashing is the requirement to assess the “affection" and “feelings" of students. From page 149 of the official translation of the curriculum, “The learning of the national situations emphasizes “affection", focuses on “feeling" and is based on “emotion”: - Emphasizes on “affection" – “Affection" is derived from the emotional connection between an individual and their country. Teachers should develop students' affection for their country. The cultivation of national identity cannot be separated from the development of affection for the country. Memorizing information alone cannot animate the learning of the country's situations. Human emotion should be emphasized to enliven learning. Teachers should enable students to understand that they share the same root with their country and are closely linked to their country in history, race and culture. - Focuses on “feeling" – Teachers should help students appreciate their affection for their country through access to information related to the national situations so that they will be moved by the rich tapestry of feelings inherent in the information. At the same time, the learning of the national situations emphasizes genuine communication between one another. A thorough understanding of the development of the country does not rely solely on information from books or the media. Apart from classroom learning, students should set foot on the motherland and participate in exchange programs to learn more about the development of their country through engaging all their senses. - Based on “emotion" – To implement the learning of the national situations, teachers and students should show dedication and engage in mutual encouragement. To successfully promote national education, teachers should impassion their students if their teaching is to make any impact. National education is not simply about the accumulation of knowledge. It is through the interactions between teachers and students and mutual encouragement that true emotions can be nurtured to become the impetus behind national education." The “affective dimension" in assessment, where the emotional acceptance of moral education by the student needs to be checked by the teacher: “To understand students' changes in the development of moral and national qualities, teachers should pay attention to any triggered affection or changes in attitudes by observing their learning process. Students' attitude could change from feeling estranged and indifferent to attending willingly, accepting, approving, expressing views and participating with pleasure. The change could even be exhibited authentically in their behavior. Instead of being an instant and fragmental expression of feelings, such emotion should constitute a continuous and coherent transformation and development of attitudes." An example of the measures that people fear will be imported from the mainland is a requirement to have recitations of the national anthem. While students are reciting the national anthem, teachers are required to check the eyes of the students. If they are not tearing up, they are considered to be uncommitted to the values of the government. An observer who has visited the protests told Bikyamasr.com, “This protest shows what Hong Kong has achieved by the elimination of corruption through the reforms introduced in 1974. The profound impact of a younger generation who resist the possibility of the entry of corruption and abuse of power is what you see in these protests. Under the guise of ‘moral and national education' what is envisaged is bringing the political culture of corruption that obstructs all development towards a fair society in the mainland."
