[ad_1]
The Ministry of Education of China has incorporated “Xi Jinping Thought” into the national curriculum from elementary school to graduate school.
On Wednesday, Chinese students returned to school with a new textbook full of “Xi Jinping Thought” because the Communist Party’s goal is to extend his cult of personality to children as young as 7 and cultivate a new generation of patriots.
The Ministry of Education said it will incorporate Xi Jinping’s vaguely defined political ideology into the national curriculum from elementary school to graduate school at the beginning of the new school year on Wednesday.
According to the government’s notice on the new curriculum, elementary school teachers must “sow the seeds of loving the party, the country, and socialism in the hearts of young people.”
The new textbook is adorned with the president’s incisive quotes and images of his smiling face, and elementary school students provided chapters on the achievements of Chinese civilization and the role of the Communist Party in poverty alleviation and the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
The course is interspersed with Xi Jinping’s famous sayings about patriotism and responsibility, as well as anecdotes about his meetings with ordinary citizens.
A textbook said: “Grandpa Xi Jinping is very busy at work, but no matter how busy he is, he will still participate in our activities and care about our growth.”
Xi Jinping’s thinking includes 14 principles such as “the party’s absolute leadership over the army” and “improving living standards through development”.
It was enshrined in the constitution at the 2018 legislative session, abolishing the term limit and paving the way for him to govern indefinitely.
From the fight against Covid-19 to literature and art, officials now often quote these principles in a variety of contexts, and universities have also opened institutions dedicated to studying Xi Jinping’s thoughts.
Efforts to instill Xi Jinping’s political ideas into children have brought Xi Jinping’s ideology to the youngest audience.
At the same time, the party is launching a broader campaign to combat what it believes is a corrupting influence on youth, from video games to celebrities and foreign educational tools.
The older children’s textbooks delve into more complex topics, such as China’s aerospace industry and the path to becoming a “socialist modern power”.
Several parents expressed dissatisfaction with the schedule in private, but refused to accept an interview from Agence France-Presse, fearing that they would have trouble talking with foreign media. But this policy was subtly resisted by anonymous Internet commenters.
“Brainwashing begins in childhood,” wrote a user on the Weibo social media platform.
“Can we refuse?” another asked.
Wang Feiling, a professor of international affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said these textbooks are an example of the Communist Party’s efforts to “betting on the cult of a powerful leader like Mao Zedong.”
“However, considering what has happened in Chinese society in the past four years, I think many parents may not like it very much, and many students may find it boring-but few people will or can publicly protest,” Wang added.
“Most people may just not take it too seriously.”
Chinese researcher Adamney told Agence France-Presse that although China has long been educating schoolchildren on patriotism and politics, the new curriculum is “both to promote the worship of Xi and to instill a greater sense of nationalism.”
[ad_2]
Source link