TNAG-0472-FCO40-537-Hong-Kong-government-policy-on-education-1974 — Page 179

G.F. 73E

0000735

SECRET COPY

From Commissioner of Police (D.S.B.).

Ref.(203) in GEN/20/53 Pt. 2

Tel. No.

275860

12th February 1974

MEMO

To

Hon. Secretary for Security

Date

Your Ref(103) in. SCR 23/3231/52 II

dated 21st January, 1974

Application of Section 68 of the Education Ordinance

О

The two cases referred to you by the Director of Education in his (71) in ED(RB) 111/64 dated 14th January 1974, emphasize the two areas where relaxation in the application of present procedures will have a detri- mental effect on Government stated policy towards communist schools and would assist the communists in their efforts to penetrate neutral schools.

2.

As you are aware, for some time now communist schools in Hong Kong have experienced considerable difficulty in recruiting teachers due both to the poor salary and conditions offered and to shortage of politically acceptable candidates. In the past few months, certain major communist schools have attempted to overcome their difficulties by recruiting teachers directly from China. The increased volume of legal emigration from China during 1973 undoubtedly facilitated this. As far as is known, about a dozen of these teachers are so far involved and there has been no attempt yet to register them with the Education Department. The application now under consideration gives the appearance of a case put forward deliberately to test our present attitude.

3.

To relax the policy governing the required length of residence in Hong Kong for applicants for teaching permits who have received education on the Mainland since 1950, will encourage communist schools in Hong Kong to remedy their staff shortages by recruitment from China on a wider scale, thus aiding their expansion plans. This would be in direct contravention of Government's policy to inhibit the expansion of communist schools.

4.

Communists are currently trying to penetrate neutral schools and much effort is spent on United Front work in pursuance of this. A relaxation in the application of Section 68 of the Education Ordinance would expose neutral schools unnecessarily to communist indoctrinated teachers arriving from the Mainland.

5.

Both the applicants have spent their entire careers in Chinese communist education circles and I am concerned that we should not allow the current more 'reasonable' attitude of the Chinese communists to obscure their long term aim of indoctrinating the youth of Hong Kong. In view of the dangers inherent in any modification of the application of Section 68 of the Education Ordinance, I recommend that Mr. TANG Jun and Miss SIM Yim-wan be refused teaching permits.

c.c. Hon. D. of E.

CLS/rt.

Sd.

(R.A.J. Richardson) Director of Special Branch

for Commissioner of Police