Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, gestures at a press conference in Beijing, Dec 25, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
A Chinese mainland spokesman on Wednesday said Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party has deprived Taiwan youth of their rightful opportunity to learn about Chinese culture and history by introducing educational policies and curriculum distorting Chinese history.
Chen Binhua, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in Beijing after recent protests by a group of representatives from Taiwan's education sector who condemned the DPP's continued implementation of "de-Sinicization" education policies aimed at disrupting cross-Strait connections.
The current curriculum guidelines implemented in 2019 by the DPP authorities in Taiwan for middle school students have significantly reduced the inclusion of classical Chinese literature. It has greatly trimmed ancient Chinese history inside history textbooks, teaching the history of China in the broader context of East Asia rather than singling it out.
Ou Kui-chih, a Chinese literature teacher at Taipei First Girls' High School, said: "The past 30 years of educational reform in Taiwan have been an irreversible disaster, with the curriculum in 2019 being the final step towards Taiwan's demise."
Chen said the education guidelines introduced under the ruling Democratic Progressive Party authorities on the island attempt to sever the historical and cultural ties across the Taiwan Strait and promote "Taiwan independence" separatism.
The purpose is to damage the bonds between compatriots on the two sides, stoke hostility across the Strait, and promote their separatist agenda, which will only sow the seeds of tension and conflict in the Taiwan Strait, he said.
Chen expressed appreciation for the strong opposition from individuals within Taiwan against the curriculum, saying it's a responsible and just act towards the young generation.
