Civil Service College launches on-line learning resources to enhance civil servants' understanding of "National Security"
15.4.2022

In support of the National Security Education Day this year, the Civil Service College (CSC) launched a series of on-line learning resources on the theme of "National Security" to enhance civil servants' understanding of the important subjects of Hong Kong National Security Law and national security. The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, said today (April 15), "It is the duty of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) under the Constitution to safeguard national security and the Region shall perform the duty accordingly. As civil servants are the backbone of the HKSAR Government, it is incumbent upon them to acquire an accurate understanding of the Hong Kong National Security Law, enhance awareness of safeguarding national security and act in accord fully with the HKSAR Government in discharging its duty to safeguard national security. In order to ensure that new recruits to the civil service will have basic understanding of the Basic Law and the Hong Kong National Security Law, we are updating the assessment content of the Basic Law Test, and will include the Hong Kong National Security Law in the scope of assessment to render the test better-suited to the requirements of the relevant civil service posts. In addition, we will continue to strengthen training for civil servants through the CSC, so as to deepen their understanding of safeguarding national security, the constitutional order and national affairs." The theme of the National Security Education Day this year is "Uphold National Security, Safeguard Our Home". To encourage civil servants to acquire a more comprehensive understanding of the "Holistic View of National Security", the CSC launched under the "Tsinghua Lecture Series" a new series of pre-recorded lectures focusing on three of the major fields in the "Holistic View of National Security", namely resource security, biosecurity and outer space security. The lectures, delivered by experts and scholars from Tsinghua University, addressed the significance of national security in these fields to the development of the country. In addition, in support of the theme of "Uphold National Security, Safeguard Our Home", the CSC also launched a pre-recorded talk on "National Security, the Hong Kong National Security Law and Improving Electoral System". The talk was delivered by former Secretary for Justice and former Vice-Chairperson of the HKSAR Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Ms Elsie Leung. The talk had its focus on the responsibility of the HKSAR to safeguard national security and the key elements of the Hong Kong National Security Law. It also covered topics such as improvements to HKSAR's electoral system and implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong", so as to enhance civil servants' understanding of these related subjects in a holistic manner. This pre-recorded talk is another important on-line resource launched on the Hong Kong National Security Law, further to the video talk last year delivered by the then Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Deng Zhonghua.