A Chinese government minister’s defense of ideology in the classroom has ignited a frenzied online debate over what it means to keep Western values out of the country’s schools.
Last year, education minister Yuan Guiren attracted controversy when he declared that Chinese professors should be on guard against the infiltration of Western ideas and avoid using teaching materials that “disseminate Western values.”
At a press conference Thursday, The Wall Street Journal asked Mr. Yuan if he could clarify his definition of Western values that he found problematic, given that Marxism, one of the foundations of Chinese Communist Party thought, originated in the West. The Journal also asked whether Mr. Yuan could offer any details on what the ministry was doing to manage materials containing Western values.
“I don’t know if you are an American or if you are [a Chinese person] working here for The Wall Street Journal,” Mr. Yuan responded, in a reply that circulated swiftly online. “Do you have faith in Marxism? The fact that Marxism is our guiding principle reflects the Chinese Communist Party’s spirit of openness.”
Mr. Yuan didn’t elaborate further on his definition of problematic Western values or ministry activity on the matter, but he went on to stress the importance of moral and political education for China’s youth. “The goal and orientation of running schools is to make our students become people qualified to inherit and build up socialism with Chinese characteristics,” he said.
An abridged video of the exchange was posted by state broadcaster China Central Television on its verified Weibo microblog, captioned, “The Education Minister Cleverly Answers Reporter’s Question.” While Weibo users were blocked from commenting on the post, videos of the exchange posted elsewhere had garnered several thousand comments — many of them fiercely critical — within a matter of hours.
“Oh please, so why do you officials send your kids to the West to study? To study Marxism?” ran one common sentiment. Over the past decade as China’s economy has boomed, the number of Chinese students studying abroad has also swelled, from 134,000 in 2006 to 459,800 in 2014.
“If we’re talking about brainwashing education, I think we are number two. Number one is North Korea,” wrote another Weibo user.
Classes on Marxism philosophy and Deng Xiaoping thought are mandatory for Chinese college undergraduates, and the government has also further launched a campaign in recent years to deepen belief in the country’s “core socialist values” through a series of specially written songs and plays for elementary and middle school children. In January, the government reiterated the need to strengthen patriotic education in its classrooms and instill patriotism among Chinese students studying abroad.
“Why can’t Western values enter? Because as soon as they do, the specially-privileged class won’t have their privileges any longer,” another Weibo user opined. “To see the doctor, they’ll need to pay themselves; to have their kids go to good schools, they’ll have to rely on their own ability.” http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2016/03/10/chinese-official-no-western-values-in-the-classroom-except-for-marxism/
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