Hundreds of high-school students in Taipei yesterday protested against what they said was the Ministry of Education’s “China-centric” alterations to curricula.
Protesters said their use of an image of a black umbrella looming over Taiwan signified the ministry’s “opaque” and “arbitrary” manipulation of textbooks.
Protesters called for the ministry to abolish the curriculum guidelines set to be introduced at the beginning of next month.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
If the ministry does not respond to their appeals by Friday, they would consider taking more “radical” measures, the demonstrators said.
They accused the government of manipulating the nation’s history and attempting to inculcate a China-centric viewpoint among students by altering the content of students’ history, geography and civic education textbooks.
The students called on the ministry to retain the 2009 curricula, saying that they focused on Taiwan and did not focus on China unnecessarily in the way the new editions do.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
Taoyuan High School Alliance spokesperson Ko Ning-yu (柯甯予) said the ministry claims the new curriculum guidelines are designed according to constitutional statutes. However, social atmosphere, public sentiment and international politics have all changed drastically since the time the Constitution was promulgated, and people generally do not perceive China and Taiwan as having strong ties anymore, he said.
He said the ministry should not have approved outdated curricula.
“We have serious doubts over the credentials and professionalism of the curriculum review committee, whose members are assigned by the ministry,” he said.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
Event co-convener Mu Yu-feng (慕宇峰), who recently graduated from National Hsinchu High School, accused the government of changing substantial portions of textbooks about the nation’s past and depriving young people’s right to learn about the nation.
Taiwan Association for Human Rights legal specialist Hsu Jen-shuo (許仁碩) said his organization has been fighting a legal battle against the ministry’s failure to ensure transparency since the new curricula were announced in February last year.
Although the court ruled in favor of the association, the ministry has appealed and the case is now awaiting a ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court, he said.
He panned the ministry’s reticence on the content of the new curricula, saying that protesters had to piece together information they obtained from legislators and other sources to get an idea of the agency’s dealings.
“The mentality of the ministry is: ‘Just because we do not want to disclose information does not necessarily mean we have done anything wrong.’ They just refuse to reveal any information [on the curricula],” he said.
He said that textbook publishers have allocated more space for China-related content, so that the materials they put out gain the ministry’s approval.
The students later wrote down their opinions on the guideline changes on the back of an open letter to Minister of Education Wu Se-hwa (吳思華), which they threw across the ministry’s gates.
The act was a plea to the minister to stop treating their appeals with indifference, they said.
Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday voiced support for the students’ protest, calling it a “civic education lesson outside of the classroom.”
She said she feels hopeful when she sees so many young Taiwanese out in the streets determined to learn for themselves and urged society not to judge them based on political prejudices.
“The curricula must be based on facts, and the creation of curricula should follow the guidelines of objectivity and professionalism. If the government does not change their mind, we will shoulder the responsibility next year,” Tsai said on Facebook.
Additional reporting by Loa Iok-sin
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
CHINA’s BULLYING: The former British prime minister said that he believes ‘Taiwan can and will’ protect its freedom and democracy, as its people are lovers of liberty Former British prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Western nations should have the courage to stand with and deepen their economic partnerships with Taiwan in the face of China’s intensified pressure. He made the remarks at the ninth Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prospect Foundation in Taipei. Johnson, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, said he had seen Taiwan’s coastline on a screen on his indoor bicycle, but wanted to learn more about the nation, including its artificial intelligence (AI) development, the key technology of the 21st century. Calling himself an
South Korea yesterday said that it was removing loudspeakers used to blare K-pop and news reports to North Korea, as the new administration in Seoul tries to ease tensions with its bellicose neighbor. The nations, still technically at war, had already halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarized zone, Seoul’s military said in June after the election of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. It said in June that Pyongyang stopped transmitting bizarre, unsettling noises along the border that had become a major nuisance for South Korean residents, a day after South Korea’s loudspeakers fell silent. “Starting today, the military has begun removing the loudspeakers,”
RSS