DIVISIVE:Supporters of the cut said memorization does not help students understand poetry, while opponents claim ancient literature is the basis of today’s spoken language
Taipei Times
Date: Sep 24, 2017
By: Rachel Lin, Wu Po-hsuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer
The Ministry of Education’s curriculum review committee yesterday voted to reduce
Members of the Association for the Promotion of the Chinese Language hold up signs and chant slogans calling for classical Chinese education to continue in high schools during a protest at the Ministry of Education in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
the proportion of classical Chinese content in senior-high school curricula to between 35 percent and 45 percent.
The decision followed a meeting earlier yesterday, in which the committee voted to abolish a conclusion reached on Sept. 10 to set the proportion at between 45 and 55 percent.
Other proposals at the Sept. 10 meeting included the elimination of classical Chinese from curriculum guidelines; leaving the decision to teachers; decreasing the proportion to between 40 and 50 percent or 30 and 40 percent; and setting the content level at 30 percent.
However, as no consensus could be reached, the committee at that meeting had opted for a proportion of 45 to 55 percent suggested by a National Academy for Educational Research committee. [FULL STORY]
