BEIJING/HONG KONG - Education in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) must hold fast to the right direction of the "one country, two systems" principle, a central government spokesperson said Friday.

The spokesperson of the State Council Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office made the remarks while commenting on certain people in Hong Kong using secondary school students to oppose the national security legislation for the HKSAR. 

READ MORE: HK's education system needs urgent detox

The necessity and urgency of establishing and improving at the national level the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security have been widely recognized by Hong Kong society since the National People's Congress (NPC) made the relevant decision on May 28, the spokesperson said.

Inciting school students to boycott classes was an attempt to use the children as "shells" and "tools" to prevent the NPC Standing Committee from passing national security legislation related to the HKSAR. "How despicable their behaviors are!" said the spokesperson.

By doing so, Joshua Wong and other instigators for so-called "Hong Kong independence" are adding another lengthy page to their criminal records, the spokesperson noted.  

The liaison office supports the HKSAR government in taking effective measures to safeguard security and stability on the campus, its spokesperson said

"Since the unrest following the proposed ordinance amendments last year, students and children have paid an unbearable and painful price," the spokesperson said, noting that a considerable number of young people and students discarded their books and rushed to the streets to participate in radical violent crimes.

Of the 8,981 people arrested for illegal activities related to the unrest as of May 29, more than 40 percent were students, with the youngest being 11 years old, according to data from the Hong Kong police.

The charges against these arrested young students include participation in a riot, unlawful assembly, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, arson, criminal damage, possession of an assault weapon and assaulting police officers, many of which are felonies, according to the spokesperson.

Once convicted, such a criminal record and stain will weigh heavily on them for a long time, destroying what should have been bright futures, the spokesperson said, adding that all people with a conscience are distressed, anxious and worried about these youngsters.

The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR expressed a similar sentiment on the same day. 

A spokesperson for the office said it firmly supports the HKSAR government to establish an education system in line with the "one country, two systems" principle in Hong Kong.

A spokesperson called for joint efforts from the Hong Kong society to create a healthy environment for youngsters to grow up.

Radical groups in Hong Kong have recently incited students to boycott classes after the national legislature adopted a decision on the national security legislation for Hong Kong. The HKSAR government has expressed firm opposition to the incitement and asked schools to deal with it seriously and urge students not to participate in such activities.

The liaison office supports the HKSAR government in taking effective measures to safeguard security and stability on the campus by asking schools to discipline misbehaved students and teachers, the spokesperson said.  

In recent years, there have been political groups with ulterior motives to bring politics into Hong Kong schools, disrupting teaching activities and eventually undermining students’ development, said the spokesman.

The Education Bureau has required all school teachers to complete a mandatory training program on professional conduct and national development starting from September

He listed a few controversial education issues, including potentially biased textbooks, exam questions and curriculum modules that contain anti-China elements but lack a full picture of history. 

The spokesman also said some teachers have gone against their professional conduct and ethics by expressing radical opinions in the classrooms and even encouraging students to take part in illegal and violent activities.

ALSO READ: Inadequacies in education system helping to radicalize youth

The Education Bureau has required all school teachers to complete a mandatory training program on professional conduct and national development starting from September.

Backing the SAR government’s duty-led decisions, the spokesman said Hong Kong’s youth should also be educated about the Constitution and the Basic Law, national security and development, in a better-structured system that fits the “one country, two systems” principle.

The spokesman said the chaos has revealed many youngsters lack a sense of national identity, while it is a task remaining in front of all education workers in the city to cultivate a young generation that can contribute to Hong Kong and the country as Chinese nationals.