Beijing is to prohibit academically controversial content from school textbooks

New textbooks will be adopted in Beijing's primary and middle schools in the spring of 2010 and textbook fees will be exempted in all the eight urban districts.

Students in Beijing's primary and middle schools will start to use the revised textbooks in the spring of 2010. The compulsory education textbooks that have been used for eight years will be changed. Reporters learned from a meeting about Beijing's curriculum reform work between 2008 and 2009 on November 17 that it has been clearly stated that controversial academic content in primary and middle-school textbooks will be prohibited in primary and middle-school textbooks. Moreover, exempting textbook fees for compulsory education students in Beijing's eight districts has been listed on the 2010 work plan of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission (BMEC).

A BMEC official said that the textbooks for all compulsory education subjects in Beijing will be revised and improved. The ongoing first phase of revision mainly involves revising and correcting deficiencies in the textbooks of 17 subjects including Chinese, math, English and geography. Factors such as the development of the times and the gap between urban and rural areas will be considered in the revision and incorrectly written characters and punctuation will be revised. The official added, "The framework of textbooks will not be changed and the content of Chinese and other textbooks will not be changed to a large extent." More than 10 kinds of textbooks published by six publishers will be revised. The revision of textbooks for the spring semester will soon be completed and a comprehensive textbook revision will be carried out according to the new curriculum standards after they are published by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

Responding to academic controversies about textbooks that have attracted attention from the society, the BMEC official clearly stated that compulsory education textbooks are different from higher education textbooks. Compulsory education textbooks should not involve academic research and discussion, and controversial academic content in primary and middle-school textbooks is prohibited.

Reporters learned that the BMEC has said previously that the policy of exempting textbook fees for students in Beijing's eight districts would be carried out this autumn. As Beijing has invested a significant amount of funds in the anti-seismic reinforcement of school buildings this year, the policy of exempting students' textbook fees has been suspended, but it has been listed on the BMEC's 2010 work plan.

Education authorities have the right to examine and approve revised geography textbooks.

Content about the division of the North China Plain in a middle school geography textbook published by the SinoMaps Press recently caused controversy and widespread concern from the society. Reporters contacted the SinoMaps Press on November 17 and a manager of the press said that textbooks are revised every year and the press will coordinate with the education authorities, who have the right to examine and approve textbooks.

Higher learning institutions will have access to the 12-year growth records of examinees.

In terms of suspicion over the credibility of the "comprehensive development assessment" introduced in the new program of college entrance examination, a BMEC official said that the comprehensive development assessment should not be utilitarian, otherwise the college entrance examination may lose its original meaning.

He said that the BMEC will establish a credibility supervision mechanism for the comprehensive development assessment in the future. The BMEC is currently integrating the comprehensive development assessment of primary, middle and high school students. Higher learning institutions will have access to the 12-year growth records of examinees next year.

Translated by LOTO