The evolution of civic education in Hong Kong: From Guidelines (85) to Guidelines (96)

Before the return of sovereignty of Hong Kong to People’s Republic of China in 1997, Hong Kong has always been described as ‘a borrowed place, a borrowed time’. The society is so deeply depoliticized and little attention has been paid to civic education before the 80th in the educational circle. But in response to the social, political and constitutional changes caused by the return of sovereignty, the Hong Kong Education Department has published two Guidelines on Civic Education in Schools in 1985 and 1996. The intention is to equip the youth to face the challenges ahead. This paper intends to compare the two Guidelines with reference to aims and objectives, ideologies, conceptual framework and focus of the content in the light of rapidly changing social and political scenario. Copyright © 1999 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.