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Can education ministry properly publish state history textbooks after sloppy review?

Can education ministry properly publish state history textbooks after sloppy review?

Posted October. 13, 2015 07:26,   

한국어

If the Park Geun-hye administration can implement its plan to publicize state history textbooks as planned, Korean history textbook for secondary schools will transform into state-issued textbooks beginning in 2017. Education Minister Hwang Woo-yea announced the reason for the government’s push for the plan on Monday, saying, “We have concluded that it is impossible to address the issue by correcting inaccurate descriptions one after another in textbooks published by private publishers and writers (in existing history textbooks).” The National Institute of Korean History, a state agency under the Education Ministry, will take charge of developing state history textbooks.

Except for two to three books, Korean history textbooks that middle and high school students use to learn Korean history have problems of leaning towards leftist ideology, including disparaging of the process of South Korea’s founding, and descriptions suggesting that only the North Korean regime has legitimacy. However, the education ministry is ultimately liable for failure to conduct proper review of existing history textbooks, as long as the ministry has the authority to filter out such biased history textbooks. In Japan, the government presents specific guidelines on how to write textbooks that are reviewed and authorized by the authority, and ensures that contents for education are delivered properly and consistently. Despite arguing over Japanese textbooks, there have been no cases of controversy over the textbook review system itself. Korea’s education ministry in charge of the review system is incompetent at best.

It is questionable whether the education ministry, which sloppily reviewed textbooks that required less strict state intervention, will be able to conduct proper review to publish state history textbooks. The ministry said it will have scholars with balanced views and competence write new textbooks, but it may be easier pledged than done. In academia, there already seems to be signs of mood in which scholars seek to boycott participation in textbook writing. Moreover, there is too short time before publishing state history textbooks by the target year of 2017, when the Park administration’s term will end. A veteran scholar, who participated in the publishing of the first state textbooks in 1974, said they had a time of two years but it was absolutely inadequate time to write. After all, chances are high that scholars who may not be qualified and competent enough will end up publishing sloppily written state history textbooks.

There is no guarantee that publishing of state history textbooks will remain intact after change of administration. Minister Hwang reportedly showed reluctance to seek publishing of state history textbooks after hearing opinions from people in the history community, including Kim Jeong-bae, chairman of NIKH. Publishing of state history textbooks is implemented through public announcement by the minister, and the minister is the ultimate decision maker. However, even decisions at a Cabinet meeting cannot take effect if it lacks endorsement signature by the minister, and an announcement by the minister will hardly have sufficient impact. Even though President Park endorsed the decision, Hwang is responsible for failing to follow his own belief as the minister in charge.

The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy held an emergency meeting of its lawmakers on Monday, and blasted the government’s announcement on publishing of state history textbooks, and seven members of its leadership including Chairman Moon Jae-in staged a protest rally at Gwanghwamun. The opposition camp seeks to block allocation of funds amounting to 4.4 billion won (3.8 million U.S. dollars) needed to prepare for publishing of state history textbooks, and hence the rival parties are on collision course. While people’s livelihoods are in shambles, it is worrisome that publishing of history textbooks will become a Black Hole that will suck in all other issues for reform.