TNAG-0346-FCO40-382-Communist-threat-to-education-in-Hong-Kong-communist-schools-1972 — Page 4

11.

One other Party organization, also subordinate to the Schools Party

Committee, is responsirle for the penetration of all non-communist educacional

establishments, from kindergartens to universities, on a Colony-wide basis.

12.

The larger communist schools contain their own Party branches or cells,

bringing the chain of command down to the lowest level. Since members of the

Party organizations at all levels are themselves almost exclusively teachers,

school administrators or headmasters the whole command structure is extremely

tight-knit.

COMMUNIST EDUCATIONAL POLICY IN HONG KONG

13.

Having considered, in outline, the chain of command from the Kwangtung

Provincial Party Committed to the individual school, the next consideration is

the policy and instructions handed down by China. Trends between 1949 and 1967

have been touched upon in an earlier section of this paper (paras 3-7),

in this section it is proposed to deal only with policy post-confrontation.

so that

14.

Since 1968, all communist circles in Hong Kong have been guided by a

general directive from CHOU En Lai that the struggle was to continue on peaceful

lines, avoiding collisions with the British. The main task was to win over the

masses by appeals to patriotic feelings and by increased political indoctrination.

More specific instructions for educational circles were received from Kwangtung

in 1968, namely that

(a)

existing communist schools should cater for incrcased

numbers of students by opening new branch schools rather

than by attempting to enlarge existing premises;

·(b)

less time should be devoted to Mao study and more to

academic subjects to enable more students to pass the

public examinations;

SECRET