Requirement for Newly-appointed Teachers to Pass the Basic Law and National Security Law Test

About Basic Law and National Security Law Test (BLNST) Requirement

About BLNST in the 2024/25 school year

Eligibility for the BLNST (degree level) (December 2024)

Application Procedures for the BLNST (degree level) (December 2024)

Information about the BLNST (non-degree level) (October 2024)

About BLNST conducted in the 2023/24 school year

Basic Law and National Security Law Test (BLNST) Requirement

Starting from the 2023/24 school year, all newly-appointed teachers in public sector schools, Direct Subsidy Scheme schools and kindergartens joining the Kindergarten Education Scheme are required to pass the BLNST in order to be considered for appointment.

Please refer to the EDB Circular No. 13/2022, Education Bureau Circular Memorandum No. 186/2024, Frequently Asked Questions and EDB’s letter to schools regarding arrangements of submitting BLNST information of newly-appointed teachers in the 2023/24 school year for details.

Education Bureau Circular No. 13/2022	PDF
Education Bureau Circular Memorandum No. 186/2024	PDF
Frequently Asked Questions	PDF
Letter to Schools (May 2023)	PDF
User Manual about the submission of BLNST information for Newly-appointed Teachers through the e-Services Portal (For School Administrators) (Chinese version only)	PDF
User Manual about the submission of BLNST information for Newly-appointed Teachers through the e-Services Portal (For Teachers) (Chinese version only)	PDF

BLNST in the 2024/25 school year

The EDB conducts a total of five rounds of the BLNST for teachers in the 2024/25 school year. The tests will be arranged for degree holders and non-degree holders respectively. The tentative test schedule is as follows. Teachers who wish to take the test should plan ahead and submit an application on time.

Level of BLNST	Target	Tentative test dates	Tentative application periods
Degree level	Holders of a bachelor’s degree or persons who will have attained a bachelor’s degree in the 2024/25 or 2025/26 academic year, and plan to join or change to another secondary schools, primary schools or kindergartens to take up teaching posts	15 December 2024 (Sunday)	25 October 2024 to 7 November 2024
		12 April 2025 (Saturday)	Late February 2025 to early March 2025
		19 July 2025 (Saturday)	Late May 2025 to mid-June 2025
Non-degree level	Persons without a bachelor’s degree and plan to join or change to another secondary schools, primary schools or kindergartens to take up teaching posts	26 October 2024 (Saturday)	6 September 2024 to 19 September 2024
Non-degree level		22 June 2025 (Sunday)	Early May 2025 to mid-May 2025

The first and second round of the BLNST are scheduled for 26 October 2024 and 15 December 2024 respectively. The details of these two rounds of the BLNST can be found below on this webpage. The details and application arrangements of the other rounds of the BLNST will be announced through press release and this webpage in due course.

Teachers who have passed the BLNST at degree level will not be required to take any BLNST at/ below an equivalent level again. For those who have passed the BLNST at non-degree level and subsequently attained a degree qualification, they will be required to take the BLNST at degree level if they wish to apply for graduate teaching posts.

For the content and format of the BLNST organised by the EDB, the EDB draws reference to the arrangements of the BLNST conducted by the Civil Service Bureau (CSB). The written test is a bilingual paper (in both English and Chinese) assessing candidates' knowledge of the Basic Law (including its annexes, instruments, attachments and appendices) as well as the National Security Law.

Persons who possess a pass result in the BLNST issued by the CSB or recruiting departments/grades will be deemed to have met the relevant requirement and will not be required to take the BLNST organised by the EDB again. For details of the BLNST conducted by the CSB, please visit the website of the CSB (https://www.csb.gov.hk/english/recruit/cre/949.html).

The CSB announced on 28 July 2023 that for all civil service recruitment exercises advertised on or after 28 July 2023, job applicants could apply for the BLNST conducted by the CSB, the EDB or various recruiting departments/grades, the pass result of which is mutually acceptable for applying for both civil service jobs and teaching posts in public-funded schools or kindergartens joining the Kindergarten Education Scheme. The mutual acceptance arrangement is applicable to the pass results issued by the CSB, the EDB or recruiting departments/grades, regardless of whether the BLNST is conducted before or after the implementation of the new arrangement. For details, please refer to the press release (https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202307/28/P2023072700450.htm?fontSize=2).

Eligibility for the BLNST (degree level) (December 2024)

Applicants for the test must possess a bachelor’s degree or will have attained a bachelor’s degree in the 2024/25 or 2025/26 academic year. Persons who do not possess a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) or will not have attained a bachelor’s degree in the 2024/25 or 2025/26 academic year are NOT eligible to apply for the test and may apply for the BLNST (non-degree level) to be organised by the EDB on 22 June 2025.

Applicants –

should be a serving teacher, have attained a bachelor’s degree and plan to change to another public sector school, Direct Subsidy Scheme school or kindergarten joining the Kindergarten Education Scheme to be a teacher; or
will have attained a bachelor’s degree in the 2024/25 or 2025/26 academic year and plan to be a teacher in public sector schools, Direct Subsidy Scheme schools or kindergartens joining the Kindergarten Education Scheme; or
have attained a bachelor’s degree, not a serving teacher but plan to be a teacher in public sector schools, Direct Subsidy Scheme schools or kindergartens joining the Kindergarten Education Scheme.

Application Procedures for the BLNST (degree level) (December 2024)

Date of Test：	15 December 2024(Sunday)
Application Deadline：	5:00 p.m. on 7 November 2024
Application Procedures:	Applicants should submit an application for the BLNST before the application deadline through the on-line application system (https://eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/edb039-6qcQPuYO95fU/en/)or through scanning the QR code below.
Notes:	a) Places for the test are limited. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants will be notified of the application results and test details by email on or before 5 December 2024. An SMS message will also be sent to applicants to remind them of the e-mail. Any requests for change of test date/ time/ venue will not be considered.
	b) Candidates will be notified of their test results by post within one month after the test.
	c) In case unforeseeable changes to the test arrangements are required, announcement will be made on the Education Bureau (EDB) webpage at https://www.edb.gov.hk/en/blnst.

Please read the “Notes for Applicants” and “Frequently Asked Questions for Application” for the BLNST (degree level) before completing and submitting the application form.

Notes for Applicants (degree level)	PDF
Frequently Asked Questions for Application (degree level)	PDF

Information about the BLNST (non-degree level) (October 2024)

The application for the first round of the BLNST (non-degree level) was closed at 5:00 p.m. on 19 September 2024. Applicants who have submitted their applications will be notified of the application results and test details by e-mail on or before 17 October 2024. An SMS message will also be sent to applicants to remind them of the e-mail. Candidates who do not receive the e-mail by 17 October 2024 should contact the Teacher Professional Development Special Duty Team by phone at 2892 5709 or by e-mail to tpdsdt@edb.gov.hk.

Candidates are advised to refer to the “Notes for Applicants (non-degree level)”, “Frequently Asked Questions for Application (non-degree level)” and “Guidance Notes for Candidates (non-degree level)” for the BLNST (non-degree level) organised by the EDB.

Notes for Applicants (non-degree level)	PDF
Frequently Asked Questions for Application (non-degree level)	PDF
Guidance Notes for Candidates (non-degree level)	PDF

BLNST conducted in the 2023/24 school year
The BLNST conducted for teachers by the EDB in the 2023/24 school year were held on 28 October 2023, 3 December 2023, 6 April 2024, 16 June 2024 and 20 July 2024 respectively. Candidates of the BLNST conducted in the 2023/24 school year have been notified of their test results by post. Candidates who do not receive the result notifications should contact the Teacher Professional Development Special Duty Team by phone at 2892 5709 or by e-mail to tpdsdt@edb.gov.hk.