Education Reform in Hong Kong from British Rule to the Post-1997 Period

While the British colonial administration reformed the education system due to the necessity of stabilizing the society, consolidating its legitimacy and buttressing its governance, the post-1997 HKSAR government has increasingly politicized and decolonized education reforms through a renewed emphasis on the promotion of Chinese national identity and the stronger awareness of Chinese history and culture. The 2019 anti-extradition bill movement led to the government to reform the education system and curricula further along the line of promoting national security education and instilling a stronger sense of law-abiding citizens in the psyche of young students. If liberalism and colonialism marked the features of pre-1997 British Hong Kong, then de-liberalization, decolonization and Chinese nationalism have become the main pillars of education reform in the HKSAR.