The Ministry of Education (MOE) is developing “China literacy” teaching materials for compulsory education to enhance students’ media literacy and national identity, Ministry of Education Secretary-General Lin Po-chiao (林伯樵) said.
The materials would focus on six core topics: democratic processes and systems, democratic defense and resilience, media literacy and identifying disinformation, Chinese cognitive warfare against Taiwan, national identity, and cross-strait relations and the Chinese political system.
The initial draft includes 13 sections covering key issues such as fundamental democratic processes, media literacy, the differences in social and cultural developments between Taiwan and China, as well as national and cultural identities.
Photo: Yang Mien-chieh, Taipei Times
Lin said that while the six core topics are already included in the ministry’s current curriculum guidelines, they are considered “difficult issues” that can be challenging to present and discuss in classrooms. As a result, the ministry developed more grounded and engaging teaching materials based on these guidelines, providing teachers with ready-made resources, such as texts and test questions, without being additionally burdened, he said.
The overall purpose of the China literacy curriculum is not to counteract China, but to promote understanding of it, particularly regarding democratic processes, systems and Taiwan’s international status, Lin said.
The goal is to help students cultivate democratic values, defense resilience, and the ability to identify information sources and political agendas, thereby helping them construct a clear sense of national identity, he said.
Further integration of “China literacy” into subjects like history and Mandarin would be arranged to broaden students’ thinking through interdisciplinary education, he added.
National Federation of Teachers’ Unions president Hou Chun-liang (侯俊良) said that the China literacy curriculum should align with the framework of the existing curriculum guidelines, while respecting teachers’ professional autonomy.
The materials should be considered optional, supplementary resources and their use should not be mandatory, he said.
The ministry should also consult frontline teachers, as many of them have already incorporated content related to China literacy into their teaching materials, he added.
Action Alliance on Basic Education president Wang Han-yang (王瀚陽) commended the ministry’s efforts to enhance students’ democratic defense and media literacy.
However, he said that the teaching materials should reflect the complexities of China’s political system and societal developments, rather than reducing the curriculum to nothing but China’s threat.
He also said that the ministry should conduct a pilot program and gather feedback from teachers and students before fully implementing the teaching materials.
Former Providence University president Michael Chen (陳振貴) said that the content and approach to China literacy education should maintain a neutral perspective on historical facts.
The curriculum should be implemented with an objective attitude, ensuring adequate communication with students and their parents to earn their support, he said.
Meanwhile, some universities said that they would combine China literacy with the all-out defense curriculum through collaborations between teachers from military and other professional backgrounds to help college students gain a clearer understanding of cross-strait situations and related risks.
Tamkang University (TKU) secretary-general Ma Yu-pei (馬雨沛) said that the all-out defense course is part of the general education curriculum, compulsory for freshman students at TKU.
All students would become familiar with the basic concepts of all-out defense through the compulsory course, and the university would incorporate China literacy into the curriculum if it becomes a regulatory requirement, he added.
National Cheng Kung University dean of academic affairs Shen Sheng-chih (沈聖智) said that the university’s all-out defense curriculum already covers China-related issues, focusing on current national security situations and students’ media literacy.
The curriculum was developed based on the All-Out Defense Contingency Handbook and would be regularly updated to align with evolving international situations, he said.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research associate researcher Tzeng Yi-suo (曾怡碩) said that China literacy could be integrated into various professional courses, liberal studies and club activities, in addition to the all-out defense course.
Tzeng said that while raising awareness of China as a hostile force is important, college students are highly autonomous, and their critical thinking skills should be cultivated from diverse perspectives to deepen their understanding of China at the higher education level.
Teachers and teaching materials play a critical role in this process, Tzeng said, urging the government to allocate more resources to enhance teachers’ knowledge and skills through professional training sessions.
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