The Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday said it is developing educational materials that are designed to reinforce students’ Taiwanese identity and enhance awareness of Chinese threats.
Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee, in response to questions about educators advocating pro-China positions in class.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) said that Taipei First Girls’ High School Chinese literature teacher Alice Ou (區桂芝) reportedly taught in class that Taiwan is part of China.
Photo: CNA
Citing another example, Lin said a parent of a third-grade student also told her that their child’s homeroom teacher taught students that “we are all Chinese.”
Lin expressed concern that children might be confused about their national identity because of these teachings.
Other lawmakers cited the case of National Tsing Hua University professor Jou Jwo-huei (周卓煇), who took 28 students on a five-day academic exchange tour to China during the Tomb Sweeping holiday. China reportedly footed the bill for food and accommodation.
Chou defended the tour, saying the trip was purely for academic research and had nothing to do with Beijing’s “united front” work.
Lawmakers urged the education ministry to pursue solutions to the problem.
Cheng replied that individual safety would not be possible without national security.
“The purpose of the Fundamental Act of Education [教育基本法] is to develop national consciousness and a global perspective. The Social Studies Tutoring Group for Primary and Secondary Schools is compiling educational materials designed to reinforce students’ national identity and enhance their literal awareness of threats from China, which should be completed during the summer vacation. We hope teachers of history, government and geography can attend training sessions for these materials and convey the right information and perspective to students,” Cheng said.
While individuals are entitled to their cultural preferences, educators must be neutral and their freedom of speech is protected under the Fundamental Act of Education, Cheng said.
Lawmakers also asked ministry officials if universities can deny students’ rights to set up tables to gather signatures for the recall campaigns against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators.
Cheng said that the act bans universities from advocating agenda for specific political groups, but it does not ban university students from voluntarily participating in civic activities.
Their freedom of speech should be protected so long as they are not promoting the agenda of specific political parties, Cheng said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
RSS