Debates over high-school curriculum guidelines should not be decided by which side shouts the loudest, Minister of Education Wu Se-hwa (吳思華) said yesterday, rejecting demands to withdraw the ministry’s new guidelines before the expiration of a student protester-imposed deadline today.
“Although it is undeniable that there is controversy, this controversy should not become something in which one side always wins out over another side,” Wu said.
He said that there is controversy over the curriculum guidelines every time revisions are made because differences in personal and family background cause people to have differing stances on historical events and national identity.
Arguments decided by which side’s voice is loudest do not meet the spirit of academic discussion and cannot resolve controversy within society, he said, adding that an attitude of mutual respect should be established through rational classroom discussion.
Wu said the vast majority of the controversy over the new curriculum guidelines derives from the wording of certain phrases, and promised the ministry would publicize a full list of controversial portions that would not be tested by the end of next month.
He added that three additional information sessions for students would be held next month.
Sessions planned for last month were canceled after the first saw Wu confronted by angry students.
Student protesters have called for the guidelines to be withdrawn due to an allegedly “China-centric” orientation and have threatened to escalate the protests if the ministry fails to provide a “positive and effective” response by the end of today.
Northern Taiwan Anti-Curriculum Changes Alliance convener Chu Chen (朱震) said that Wu’s remarks did not constitute a “positive and effective” response because there was no shift in the ministry’s position on withdrawing the guidelines.
He added that ministry calls for discussion of the controversial issues in the classroom were hypocritical because the proposed guidelines would limit discussion.
Promises not to test controversial issues were also not new because this was in line with previous ministry practice, he said.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
RSS