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

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. 

 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. 

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).