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History curriculum plan sparks school
controversy
‘UNIFICATION TACTIC’: Pro-independence groups fear that
political bias in a proposed history curriculum is designed to promote political
unification with China
By Vincent Y. Chao
STAFF REPORTER
Monday, Mar 29, 2010, Page 3
Cheng Cheng-yu, center, speaks at a press
conference organized by the Northern Taiwan Society yesterday. He is joined by
World United Formosans for Independence chairman Ng Chiau-tong, left, and former
Democratic Progressive Party secretary-general Lin Chia-lung.
PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
After months of meetings, a Ministry of Education (MOE) task force charged with
revising high school curriculums is coming close to approving a version that
will increase emphasis on Chinese history over world history, education
activists said yesterday.
Groups protesting the revision said they feared the move could have a spillover
effect onto other historical issues including changes on how the 228 Incident
and the Kaohsiung Incident are portrayed in relation to the development of
Taiwan’s democracy.
At present, high school students are required to take one semester each of
Taiwanese and Chinese history and another two of world history. The revisions,
if passed, would mean that students would first take one semester of Taiwanese
history and then one-and-a-half semesters in Chinese and world history.
However, Chen Yi-shen (陳儀深), president of the Taiwan Association of University
Professors, said yesterday he feared members of the task force could further
increase the emphasis on Chinese history during its next meeting on Saturday.
According to committee members, National Taiwan University philosophy professor
Wang Hsiao-po (王曉波) has proposed that students spend up to two semesters
studying Chinese history.
“Our concerns that these changes will have a negative effect on students have
fallen on deaf ears,” Chen said. “The MOE says it will respect expert opinion
from the task force, but the truth is that members are not free of bias.”
“A string of changes by the MOE now mean that there are more pan-blue academics
advocating Chinese ideas on the task force,” Chen said.
A statement released yesterday by pro-independence organizations and signed by
groups representing teachers and professors said the problem of political bias
on the task force was becoming so serious that they were asking Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to become personally
involved in the matter and pressure the MOE to reject the proposed changes.
“The kind of history education they are proposing … is deeply flawed. While the
proposed economic cooperation framework agreement [ECFA] will unify China and
Taiwan economically, the new [education] revisions are a political tactic
designed for political unification,” the statement said.
National Chengchi University history professor Hsueh Hua-yuan (薛化元) said there
was concern within the education community regarding the content of the
revisions and not just changes in course timetables.
Earlier this month, activists led by DPP lawmakers met Education Minister Wu
Ching-chi (吳清基), who said that changes were still under consideration and that
final decisions by the task force would be subject to public hearings.
However, Hsueh said yesterday that: “The committee members have already reached
a consensus to raise the emphasis of Chinese history over world history.”
Negotiations over the revisions are expected to be completed by the end of next
month, Hsueh said, adding that it remained to be seen whether textbook
publishers would have enough time to incorporate the changes into the 2011-2012
school year curriculum.
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