http://www.edu-2.org/edu2/cosign_en.php
Cosignature:
For students’ multi-learning, against law revision about textbooks
中文版 English version
Background of Cosignature
Since the political curfew was lifted, the open and diverse social trend has furthered Taiwan’s prospering democracy and society. As a result of the open society, the open and diverse education helps the open and diverse society strengthen itself. Featuring the “school-based curriculum”, Grade 1-9 Curriculum aims to develop the various educational features of various schools in communities with various conditions and demands. That way, the community consciousness shall develop with the cultural root of the society, strengthening the democracy.
However, some politicians in Taiwan are prompting the policy for the “unified version of primary and secondary (excluding senior high schools) textbooks following the one set of guidelines”, which can be divided into four main points:
1. In the Legislative Yuan of R.O.C., the amendment of Article 8 of the National Education Law is proposed that the textbooks shall be chosen by the local (county & provincial city) governments instead of the schools. (Please see the proposed amendment draft of Article 8-2 of the National Education Law by the Legislative Yuan.)
The proposed amendment also aims to eradicate the “school-based” curriculum in which schools can edit or choose textbooks. If the proposed amendment is passed, schools can only edit or choose the textbooks none of which the local governments can find.
After continuing negotiations, one of the proposing law maker, Chao-Shun Huang withdrew her co-signature. Shih-Hsiung Luo, the main proposing law maker, gradually understood that the execution of the many textbooks on one guideline policy and the school-based curriculum has been enabling many outstanding curriculum teams to develop the curriculum, teaching materials, and teaching techniques, all of which would have been killed by the single textbook on one guideline policy. Instead, Luo asks why the development has not made enough progress and when more than half of the school teams shall make such achievements.
Nevertheless, the understanding and changed attitude of some proposing law makers does not change the whole attitude of the camp for the single textbook on one guideline policy. The reconsideration of the proposed amendment of Article 8 of the National Education Law is still voted down by the said camp in the Legislative Yuan and submitted to CECA (Committee for Education and Cultural Action) for examination. In September, the proposal is going into the debate for and against it. Realizing the difficulty of passing the proposed amendment, some proposing law makers have decided to revise the proposal, in which the local governments can be commissioned by schools to choose textbooks.
2. In the Legislative Yuan, the amendment of Article 4 of the Vocational School Law is proposed that Taipei City shall hold its own Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students (the Basic Competence Test). (Please see the proposed amendment draft of Article 4 of the Vocational School Law.)
The Vocational School Law only allows Taipei City to hold its Basic Competence Test for senior high schools, not vocational high schools. The camp for the single textbook on one guideline policy, therefore, proposes the amendment in the Legislative Yuan so that Taipei City (Lung-Bin Hau as mayor) can hold its distribution of vocational high schools.
The objection raised in the examination of the proposal (submitted by the Legislative Yuan) was voted down by the camp for the single textbook on one guideline policy. The reconsideration proposed during the examination can be voted down by the Legislative Yuan so that the proposal shall formally enter the debate with Article 8 of the National Education Law.
3. The alliance among the local governments attempts to form the unified textbook before the amendment is passed.
The basic idea of the alliance centers around Taipei City, Taipei County, and Keelung City, which have 29% of the primary and secondary students in Taiwan, and intends to invite Taoyuan (with 9% of the primary and secondary students in Taiwan). The alliance wants to choose the same textbook and to hold their Basic Competence Test. The alliance, without Taoyuan, of Taipei City, Taipei County, and Keelung City has formed.
The primary and secondary schools in the region of the said alliance will find their students’ poor performance in the Basic Competence Test if the schools dare to choose a different textbook from what the alliance has decided on. Then the alliance will invite Taichung County, Taichung City, Changhua County, and Chiayi County to join the single textbook on one guideline policy. The versions of textbooks having failed the selection of the alliance will have to disappear gradually so that the textbook of Taiwan shall be unified.
Show-Yen Lu, a law maker, proposed the restoration of the textbook edited by the National Institute for Compilation and Translation in the Legislative Yuan. In the national public hearing on the textbook policy on October 18th, 2006, Taipei County Government said that the best textbook comes from the collection of all the national resources. Many local councilors for the single textbook on one guideline policy proposed that the textbook from Grade 1 to Grade 12 shall go back to the unified edition by the National Institute for Compilation and Translation in the past.
When that proposal is passed, there will not be any problems about the guidelne or textbook. The textbook censorship will be redundant, and schools only have to teach with the textbooks edited by the government.
During the promotion of the single textbook on one guideline policy, the local governments shall follow the Ministry of Education since the laws have not been revised. The Ministry of Education explained the details of “Tai Guo ⅡZi Di No. 0960053997B“ and pointed out that the textbook selection by the local government violated the National Education Law. Afterwards, the single textbook on one guideline policy of the local government was stopped. For the details of the matter, please go to the “explanation of Article 8 of the National Education Law by the Ministry of Education.”
4. Through the interpretation of constitution camouflage the truth.
Taipei City, which does not want to follow the explanation by the Ministry of Education, applied for the explanation of the grand justice with 8 local governments on May 3rd, 2007.
However, the point for explanation is that “the National Education Law only authorizes the primary and secondary schools to choose textbooks but does not limit the schools’ commission of textbook selection to the local governments.” The application of Taipei City totally ignores that Taipei City attempts to hold its Basic Competence Test based on its nominated textbook. In other words, Taipei City intends to execute Action A, violating the laws, but applies for the explanation of Action B.
As long as the grand justice explains the legality of Action B (the commission of textbook selection), not the legality of Action A (the Basic Competence Test based on the nominated textbook), Taipei City will interpret the unexplained Action A as a legal action.
Reference:
- The whole text of the constitution explanation
- The abstract of the constitution explanation
- The proceedings of the legal seminar on May 20th, 2007
Please join the cosignature.
In the past, the unified textbook included very little about Taiwan studies. Since the execution of the Grade 1-9 Curriculum, the textbook has included far more about Taiwan studies, and the experiments of improved teaching and learning have activated the curriculum. The unified textbook will definitely kill all the curriculum, teaching, and learning developments and experiments, introduce more political intervention, and destroy the basic balance of the teaching materials. The restoration of the unified textbook can barely solve all the problems at the times of the unified textbook and only lead to the non-governmentally edited textbook submitted for governmental examination. The whole process may take decades in Taiwan and shall never be realized.
If the education aims to have a fair and convenient examination, students will only have to memorize the whole textbook. Nevertheless, the adults educated in that way may hardly be able to confront the changing and globalized 21st century. If the nation could produce the best textbook, why would the OECD nations not do so?
It is true that the many textbooks on various versions on one guideline policy have resulted in many problems and complaints, but the solution shall be the improvement of the administrative measures. The unified textbook is just the way like “to pour the children with the bathing water.”
To solve the four measures for the single textbook on one guideline, many non-governmental actions have been in progress this year. We have recently started the cosignature to stop the educational crisis in Taiwan and really hope for your support, for the amendment by the Legislative Yuan is coming this September.
Situation of Cosignature
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