The Hong Kong Education Bureau said the Basic Law will be taught in middle schools for the first time starting 2017, Hong Kong-based newspaper Sing Tao Daily reported on Thursday.
A guide released by the Hong Kong Education Bureau in late November required middle schools to teach at least 15 class-hours on the Basic Law during the three years in middle school starting 2017, the report said.
Next year marks the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.
"The move is necessary for promoting peaceful and stable development of Hong Kong," a professor at the School of International Studies of Peking University, who requested not to be named, told the Global Times.
The professor explained that the move will help Hong Kong youth understand and obey the Basic Law as the previous, illegal "Occupy Central" movement has damaged the tradition of rule by law in the region.
Tian Feilong, a legal expert and associate professor at Beihang University, told the Global Times that the new policy reflected a trend of self-examination and self-correction in the Hong Kong society.
"Recent 'Hong Kong independence' campaigns have damaged social order in the region, which has created a sense of crisis among the local people," Tian said.
Tian noted that many schools follow a Western education system and use textbooks chosen by churches and teaching committees, which is a reason behind the lack of education on national identification and national policies in Hong Kong.
There is no requirement on teaching hours for the Basic Law in high schools, according to the Sing Tao Daily.
Tian added that classes on national identification should also be launched at colleges to raise the students' recognition of the nation.
The new textbook to be used will include the legal basis for the Basic Law and national policies, like the principles of "one country, two systems" and "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong," read the report.
