In this photo taken on Nov 10, 2022, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok speaks at the opening of the Law Society of Hong Kong's 5th Belt and Road Conference: Metaverse and Money on the Belt and Road under Hong Kong Legal Week 2022. (PHOTO/HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG – The Department of Justice announced on Thursday the creation of the Steering Committee on Rule of Law Education to promote the awareness and proper understanding of the rule of law in Hong Kong.

In a statement, the DoJ said the committee will collaborate with representatives from bureaus, the judicial and legal sectors, and the law schools to coordinate and collaborate in strengthening the rule of law education and training in the SAR on all fronts.

"To strengthen the community's trust in the legal and judicial system, continual and dedicated efforts should be made to enhance the rule of law education, so that the public can have a proper understanding of Hong Kong's common law system and the rule of law under 'one country, two systems'", Secretary of Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok, the chair of the committee, was quoted as saying in the statement.

The committee, which the DoJ seeks to convene this month, will advise and assist the DoJ on the launch of the "Rule of Law Education Train-the-Trainers Programme"

The committee, which the DoJ seeks to convene this month, will advise and assist the DoJ on the launch of the "Rule of Law Education Train-the-Trainers Programme".

The program aims to train "trainers" in various sectors of the community to enhance their capability for promoting consistent and correct messages about the rule of law to youths and the general public.

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The trainers are expected to reach out to the community in the latter half of 2023 and help enhance public understanding about the rule of law, the characteristics and advantages of Hong Kong's common law, and the key features of Hong Kong's legal system.  

The program will also complement and supplement existing initiatives relating to rule of law education and develop teaching materials for the trainers, according to the statement.

The teaching materials will cover topics on the Constitution, the Basic Law, the Hong Kong National Security Law, the main characteristics of the common law system in Hong Kong, the basic framework of Hong Kong's legal system and more, enabling the trainers to promote correct messages on the rule of law in the community, it added.

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Besides Lam, the other members of the committee include Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan, the committee vice-chair, and directors of bureaus and representatives from the judicial and legal sectors, as well as law schools.