A group of independence advocates and university professors asked the Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday to focus more on Taiwanese history and less on Chinese history.
“Taiwanese education is the only right way,” and “Taiwan’s history is national history, Chinese history is world history,” were some slogans chanted by dozens of protesters outside the ministry.
The group gathered in response to an article by National Taiwan University (NTU) history professor Chou Wan-yao (周婉窈) earlier this month warning that changes to the curriculum guidelines could emphasize Chinese history.
Chou, who is on the task force making changes to the high school curriculum, said NTU philosophy professor Wang Hsiao-po (王曉波) and some other task force members had proposed that students spend two semesters learning Chinese history and just one semester studying world history.
On Nov. 15, the task force voted in favor of a proposal by Chou and others to allot one-and-a-half semesters each to Chinese and world history, but task force convener Wu Wen-hsing (吳文星), a history professor at National Taiwan Normal University, resolved to put Wang’s amended proposal up for further deliberation after task force’s term expired on Dec. 31.
Southern Taiwan Society president Cheng Cheng-iok (鄭正煜) told reporters that history textbooks should focus on Taiwan instead of following a “Chinese education system.”
“The government has been using the education system like propaganda,” Cheng said. “China should have nothing to do with Taiwanese education … [it] should be in world history classes.”
Several protesters said they were concerned that students would miss out on an education system focused on their own roots. Others said they were worried students would learn more about China than world history.
Chen Yi-shen (陳儀深), president of the Taiwan Association of University Professors, said his organization was not against Chinese history, but it hoped that the ministry would have a more balanced approach.
Huang Kun-long (黃坤龍), deputy head of secondary education at the ministry, said no decision had been made.
At a separate setting yesterday, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) told legislators the government would not put more emphasis on Chinese history in high school.
During a question-and-answer session on the legislative floor, Wu said he believed there should be a “proper proportion” for Taiwanese history, Chinese history and world history in high school, and that the time for each would remain the same for now.
High school students now have to take one semester of Taiwanese history, one of Chinese history and two semesters of world history in their first and second years.
Wu told Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) that students should begin by understanding the history of Taiwan.
Minister of Education Wu Ching-chi (吳清基) said Chinese history and Taiwanese history would remain in separate textbooks, and there would not be a greater emphasis put on Chinese history.
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