Abstract
In a city like Hong Kong where animal protection laws replicate outdated British legislation from the early 1900s, extensive educational measures must be taken to raise students’ collective awareness of animal welfare and rights, in order to meet the pressing environmental, social, and moral demands of a rapidly developing society. This article argues that the study of animal protection in Hong Kong school curricula is essential to raising future generations of responsible and empathetic community leaders and members. Not only can such curricula encourage students to make well-informed, healthy, and environmentally-conscious choices as consumers, it also challenges the speciesist “hidden curricula” perpetuated in schools, developing students’ critical and independent thinking skills and empowering them to regain ownership over and accountability for their decisions. It instils empathy in students towards animals, as well as vulnerable groups in society that share a similar narrative of oppression and exploitation, such as women and ethnic minorities. This article refutes the critique of animal protection curricula being a form of indoctrination by challenging the notion that any education system can be truly value-free.
Highlights
The study of animal protection in Hong Kong school curricula is crucial to ensure students receive an education which gives them the moral and intellectual tools to challenge their assumptions, partake in active citizenship and democratic action, take ownership over their everyday choices, and maximise their physical, mental, and moral wellbeing
This article argues that the study of animal protection in Hong Kong school curricula is essential to raising future generations of responsible and empathetic community leaders and members
Animal protection curricula can prompt critical thinking about speciesism and sustainability, as students are encouraged to re-evaluate their closely-held moral beliefs and behaviours towards animals that they have been taught by their parents, schools, and the society to practice and accept passively
Summary
The study of animal protection in Hong Kong school curricula is crucial to ensure students receive an education which gives them the moral and intellectual tools to challenge their assumptions, partake in active citizenship and democratic action, take ownership over their everyday choices, and maximise their physical, mental, and moral wellbeing. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that humans only have 12 years to limit climate change, and global warming beyond 1.5°C would significantly worsen the risks of extreme heat, floods, drought, and poverty for hundreds of millions of people, animal agriculture becomes a dire threat to animal and human species alike.23 Despite these findings, Hong Kong schools - in the same way as schools in other countries including the United Kingdom and United States - continue to endorse the habitual and unconscious consumption of animal products, skirting their responsibility to equip students with the knowledge to make well-informed, conscious choices as consumers and citizens who will face the impacts of climate change in their lifetime. Taiwan’s recent introduction of a 12-year compulsory animal protection education to its national school curriculum in January is an important step forward in Asia, and Hong Kong should follow Taiwan’s initiative in order to establish its place as a champion in animal welfare in the region.
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