Students admitted to Hong Kong Baptist University this year will need to pass a new two-hour face-to-face national security law course to graduate.

In an e-mail to students and teaching staff, the university announced that all undergraduate students admitted from this year will have to pass the course before being allowed to graduate from the university.

Students must also complete two hours of reading assigned materials and obtain a pass in a quiz.

Only a pass or a fail will be given, which means the course doesn't come with a credit and will not count in students' grade point average, but students must pass the quiz to graduate.

The new graduation requirement is not applicable to existing students as well as postgraduate students.

According to a course briefing posted on the university's website, the learning objectives would be to introduce one country, two systems and the constitutional status of Hong Kong with reference to China's constitution and Hong Kong's Basic Law.

It will also focus on the importance of the law - implemented in the SAR last June 30 - to Hong Kong, and provide an overview of key provisions of the legislation for the SAR, as well as introduce the fundamental principles of the rule of law.

The law mandates all tertiary education institutions roll out national security education.

University president Alexander Wai Ping-kong indicated in July that the course was in the offing for the incoming academic year.

He said the course is not only related to politics, but it will also cover areas such as internet and environmental security and public health.

He also said the law is a crucial legislation, so students must learn about it, while the university will also encourage existing students to take the course.

Apart from Baptist, Polytechnic and Lingnan universities have also said they will roll out courses related to national security in the new school year.

Alexander Wai

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