On 1 January, the Patriotic Education Law, which aims to promote “patriotic education” and “further boost national cultural recognition,” took effect in China, according to state mouthpiece Global Times (GT).
What is the Patriotic Education Law?
According to GT, the law aims to ensure that “patriotic education should target all levels of the society.” It will focus on educating school children, families, civil servants, company employees, and rural residents.
In addition, it will also educate “patriots” from China’s Special Administrative Regions (SAR) including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.
The law dictates that various forms of celebratory activities should be carried out on the country’s National Day to propagate patriotic education.
In schools, patriotic education will be integrated throughout schooling, including class lectures on ideological and political theory. Such education will also be incorporated into various subjects and textbooks.
Starting from January 1, a slew of new laws took effect in China with the Patriotic Education Law being one of the highlights. Society has high expectations for the law to contribute to patriotic education and further boost national cultural recognition. pic.twitter.com/AWgjO1dFyx
— China Perspective (@China_Fact) January 2, 2024
According to Chinese state media, the legislation will include areas such as “ideology and politics, history and culture, national symbols, the beauty of the motherland, Constitution and the law, national unity and ethnic solidarity, national security and defense, and the deeds of heroes and role models.”
However, an article by The Guardian claimed that the new law is “deterring Western teachers from working in the country.”
A mother of a student at a private school affiliated with the Dulwich College International in Shanghai told GT that courses are expected to alter to an extent in order to fit the requirements of the new law, and patriotic content will be seen in Chinese and ideological and morality courses.
Further, she noted that local educational authorities will periodically inspect the law’s implementation.
Xiong Wenzhao, a professor from the Law School of Tianjin University, told GT that the law “not only regulates education activities at schools, but also prohibits illegal acts such as insulting heroes and martyrs, jointly providing a solid legal guarantee for the legitimate rights and interests of these heroes and martyrs and helping guide all sectors of society to better respect history and protect these figures.”