MB Civic

Teachers from B.C. muzzled in China
———————————————-Janet Steffenhagen
Vancouver Sun
Friday  June 1  2007

Two B.C. schools in China instructed their
B.C.-certified teachers last year not to
mention controversial topics such as
Tiananmen Square, Tibet, the Dalai Lama,
or Taiwan in the classroom and to feign
ignorance if students asked questions.

The teachers were also told to avoid
talking about human rights but if the
topic came up, they should direct criticism
towards other countries, especially the U.S.,
according to confidential information
distributed to staff at Grand Canadian
Academy in Tongxiang and the B.C.
Maodun High School.

“When dealing with such [human rights]
topics, talk about other countries and
avoid China,” says the schools’ 2006
handbook, which was leaked to The
Vancouver Sun. “Chinese government is
happy if we use U.S. as an example and be
critical about its wrongdoings in human
rights.”

The two independent schools are certified
by the B.C. Education Ministry to teach the
provincial curriculum and graduate
students with a B.C. certificate, which gives
them easy access to post-secondary
institutions in North America. The schools
charge tuition fees and send a portion of
that money to the B.C. government.

The teachers are all licensed by the B.C.
College of Teachers. Some are from B.C.,
while some are from elsewhere in Canada,
and abroad.

The confidential section of the handbook,
titled Political Sensitivity in China, says the
increase in foreign high schools in China
has prompted the Chinese government to
apply “more strict ideological scrutiny over
the textbooks and instructions in these
schools.”

It cautions teachers to avoid talking about
Tiananmen Square, Taiwan, Tibet, Falun
Gong, Japan, China’s democracy and
Chinese leaders, especially Mao Zedong.

Regarding the Tiananmen Square protests
in 1989 that resulted in many civilian
deaths, the handbook says the Chinese
government and the western world hold
entirely different opinions about the event
and the Chinese government wants people
to forget about it. “Totally avoid this issue.
If asked about it, ‘I don’t know’ is the safest
answer.”

Teachers were told that Taiwan should be
referred to as a region of China, not a
separate country, and Tibet and the Dalai
Lama should never be mentioned.

The warning about Falun Gong is
sterner. “This is a forbidden religion in
China for its political tendency. Totally
avoid this issue. If asked about it, ‘I don’t
know’ is the safest answer.”

Education Minister Shirley Bond had little
to say about the handbook when contacted
Wednesday.

“Our job is to ensure that B.C. curriculum is
being taught by certified B.C. teachers and
that is exactly what’s taking place,” she
said, adding that the topics mentioned in
the handbook are not among the
prescribed learning outcomes for students.

“There are cultural and political views,
obviously, that vary from nation to nation.
They may not be consistent with my own
personal views. But our job is to ensure the
curriculum is being taught and I’ve been
assured that is exactly what’s taking place.

The schools are owned by Michael Lo, a
Vancouver businessman who was forced to
close two post-secondary institutions in
Vancouver — Kingston College and
Lansbridge University — after they were
found to be violating provincial laws.

His B.C. agent for the Chinese schools,
David Maljaars, said in an e-mail response
to a Sun query that the section of the
handbook dealing with political
sensitivities has been deleted. The school
principals declined a Vancouver Sun
request for an interview, he added.

A former Madoun principal, who quit his
job in January, described the instructions in
the handbook as anti-democratic. “It’s a
betrayal of the Canadian education
system,” Doug Roy said in an interview
Wednesday. “It flies in the face of what
education is all about — but that doesn’t
matter to people who are only interested
in making money.”

Roy, who resigned after 10 months on the
job, said Chinese officials try to keep “a
tight lid” on what is being taught in B.C.
schools and some owners go along with
that.

New Democrat MLA Rob Fleming said
schools that award B.C. graduation
certificates should be required to meet the
same high standards. “It’s legitimate to
have cultural sensitivities but when you
talk about the education curriculum, it
should be held to the same standards
abroad as we have here.

“You can’t just jettison parts of it.”

He said Bond should take a hard look at
what the school is teaching, especially
given other concerns that have surfaced on
the Internet.

Grand Canadian Academy and Maodun are
among nine B.C.-certified schools in China,
although only two are owned by Lo’s
Kingston Education Group. There is also
one B.C.-certified school in Egypt.

The handbook cautions teachers about any
lesson involving Japan. “China and Japan
are enemies in tradition and friends in
appearance. Currently their relationship is
tense because 1.) Japan claims to protect
Taiwan, 2.) official worship to the dead
soldiers killed in the war with China, and 3.)
the territory of the East Sea.

Be careful about China’s sentiment about
Nanjing massacre,” the handbook says.

In speaking about China’s leaders, the
teachers should avoid all criticisms, it adds.

“The people of every country tend to think
their own government is lousy. However, in
the “family-type” cultural structure like
China, the local people may feel offended
when the outsiders are critical about their
government leaders, including the past
leaders like Chairman Mao and the current
leaders.

“Avoid negative comments even when the
students and Chinese colleagues are being
critical about them.”

jsteffenhagen@png.canwest.com

The Vancouver Sun 2007