School history textbooks should specify that UN Resolution 2758 does not mention Taiwan, and teach students that China is misinterpreting its text to exclude the nation from international affairs, the National Academy for Educational Research said yesterday.
The academy issued the statement — one of two at its trilateral curriculum meeting — regarding research, and textbook reviewers and publishers for the “Modern Taiwan and the Rise of Modern Nations” section of high-school history textbooks.
The other resolution was that junior-high history textbooks should not only include sections on the Cairo Declaration, but also cover the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty — a treaty between the Republic of China (ROC) and Japan — and the San Francisco Peace Treaty.
Photo courtesy of Keelung Senior High School
Regarding UN Resolution 2758, the academy said that textbooks should include the original text in English and Mandarin, as well as make a clear statement that it does not mention the ROC or Taiwan.
National Academy for Educational Research president Lin Chung-yi (林從一) said that education textbooks should not be static, but should be revised based on education needs and other factors.
Any doubts and questions would be thoroughly discussed by a panel of experts at the academy, which is responsible for modifying the nation’s curricula, Lin said.
If necessary, it would consult experts or hold trilateral meetings to ensure that other opinions are incorporated, he said.
Academy presidents must sign all textbook changes and the institute is obligated to ensure that changes do not affect the quality of the materials, he said.
Separately, K-12 Education Administration Deputy Director-General Tai Shu-fen (戴淑芬) said that the Ministry of Education is collaborating with schools to provide supplemental teaching materials, such as podcasts and videos, that would help students learn about China.
The material would be distributed to teachers during a summer workshop, which social science teachers nationwide are asked to attend, Tai said.
President William Lai (賴清德) among his national security policies issued on March 13 asked the ministry to look into policies on teaching schoolchildren how to spot Beijing’s propaganda.
Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) on Monday said that the ministry would develop materials on national identification and how to identify materials containing Chinese propaganda.
Cheng’s statement was in response to Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Yi-chin’s (林宜瑾) comment that parents in her district complained that elementary-school teachers openly said in class that “we are Chinese” and that such incidents might reflect some teachers’ attempt to impose their national identification on students.
Rainfall is expected to become more widespread and persistent across central and southern Taiwan over the next few days, with the effects of the weather patterns becoming most prominent between last night and tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said that based on the latest forecast models of the combination of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, rainfall and flooding are expected to continue in central and southern Taiwan from today to Sunday. The CWA also warned of flash floods, thunder and lightning, and strong gusts in these areas, as well as landslides and fallen
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
MASSIVE LOSS: If the next recall votes also fail, it would signal that the administration of President William Lai would continue to face strong resistance within the legislature The results of recall votes yesterday dealt a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) efforts to overturn the opposition-controlled legislature, as all 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers survived the recall bids. Backed by President William Lai’s (賴清德) DPP, civic groups led the recall drive, seeking to remove 31 out of 39 KMT lawmakers from the 113-seat legislature, in which the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) together hold a majority with 62 seats, while the DPP holds 51 seats. The scale of the recall elections was unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug. 23. For a
SOUTH CHINA SEA? The Philippine president spoke of adding more classrooms and power plants, while skipping tensions with China over disputed areas Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday blasted “useless and crumbling” flood control projects in a state of the nation address that focused on domestic issues after a months-long feud with his vice president. Addressing a joint session of congress after days of rain that left at least 31 dead, Marcos repeated his recent warning that the nation faced a climate change-driven “new normal,” while pledging to investigate publicly funded projects that had failed. “Let’s not pretend, the people know that these projects can breed corruption. Kickbacks ... for the boys,” he said, citing houses that were “swept away” by the floods. “Someone has