History teachers launch campaign against textbook revisions (South Korea)
1,500-member National History Teachers Association to issue declaration stating the gov’t is undermining neutrality of education.
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Following history scholars, history teachers nationwide launched a campaign to sign a “history educators’ declaration,” which says the “government’s move to revise the (history textbook) ‘A Modern and Contemporary History of Korea’ has fundamentally shaken the textbook authorization system and undermines the neutrality of education as guaranteed by the Constitution.”
On October 19, the National History Teachers Association said, “History educators have begun to take action because they can not endure the government’s move to revise the history textbook in a direction that would comprehensively deny the political neutrality of education, which society has worked hard to gain.”
Since October 16, the NHTA has encouraged its members to sign the declaration on its Web site (http://okht.njoyschool.net) with a series of e-mails and mobile-phone text messages and has raised funds to advertise the declaration, which over 300 history teachers have signed in just three days.
Yun Jong-bae, the director of the NHTA, said, “With history teachers and scholars we will announce the ‘history educators’ declaration’ three times by the end of this month via advertisements in the media when the government finalizes the proposed revision. This is a rare moment because history teachers nationwide have collectively taken direct action to criticize the government’s policy. That underscores how seriously they perceive this issue.” Of the 7,000 history teachers at middle and high schools nationwide, some 1,500 are members of the NHTA.
Jo Han-gyeong, a Korean history teacher at Bucheon North High School in Gyeonggi Province, said, “Last year, I taught students using Kumsung Publishing’s ‘A Modern and Contemporary History of Korea.’ I have read the textbook hundreds of times, but it is ridiculous to hear that the textbook is pro-North Korea, anti-U.S. and left-leaning. I decided to come forward because I can not endure the government’s absurd move to force students to examine history from only one point of view.”
Read entire article at http://english.hani.co.kr
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Following history scholars, history teachers nationwide launched a campaign to sign a “history educators’ declaration,” which says the “government’s move to revise the (history textbook) ‘A Modern and Contemporary History of Korea’ has fundamentally shaken the textbook authorization system and undermines the neutrality of education as guaranteed by the Constitution.”
On October 19, the National History Teachers Association said, “History educators have begun to take action because they can not endure the government’s move to revise the history textbook in a direction that would comprehensively deny the political neutrality of education, which society has worked hard to gain.”
Since October 16, the NHTA has encouraged its members to sign the declaration on its Web site (http://okht.njoyschool.net) with a series of e-mails and mobile-phone text messages and has raised funds to advertise the declaration, which over 300 history teachers have signed in just three days.
Yun Jong-bae, the director of the NHTA, said, “With history teachers and scholars we will announce the ‘history educators’ declaration’ three times by the end of this month via advertisements in the media when the government finalizes the proposed revision. This is a rare moment because history teachers nationwide have collectively taken direct action to criticize the government’s policy. That underscores how seriously they perceive this issue.” Of the 7,000 history teachers at middle and high schools nationwide, some 1,500 are members of the NHTA.
Jo Han-gyeong, a Korean history teacher at Bucheon North High School in Gyeonggi Province, said, “Last year, I taught students using Kumsung Publishing’s ‘A Modern and Contemporary History of Korea.’ I have read the textbook hundreds of times, but it is ridiculous to hear that the textbook is pro-North Korea, anti-U.S. and left-leaning. I decided to come forward because I can not endure the government’s absurd move to force students to examine history from only one point of view.”