Students at St. Hilary's Primary School in Hong Kong have a class on April 19, 2022. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

The Hong Kong Education Bureau will distribute picture books on national security to kindergartens as well as primary and secondary schools to boost awareness of national security, Education Secretary Christine Choi Yuk-lin said on Sunday.

Speaking at a reading event at the Hong Kong Book Fair, Choi said the government will promote national education by giving the books to schools, thereby allowing students to better understand national history, culture, and development across various fields.

Choi said this year marks the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. These activities are held with the goal of teaching an understanding of the country and cultivating lifelong learning among youngsters, as well as to encourage them to love the city and the country, and to undertake opportunities and challenges.

Choi also said that in the future, the Education Bureau will provide HK$50 million ($6.37 million) as reading promotion subsidies to primary and secondary schools, while kindergartens will receive HK$10 million. The subsidies are an effort to promote reading throughout Hong Kong schools with the aim of funding multidimensional reading activities, enriching school library’s resources, and cultivating a general atmosphere for reading.

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Curtis Lo contributed to the story.