hankyoreh

This time, superintendents have taken the initiative. As the Minister of Education, Science and Technology had failed to revise a certain textbook on the nation’s modern and contemporary history in both May and July, an association of superintendents said it will ban the textbook from being used as teaching material in their schools. In an apparent bid to shield themselves from being depicted as the servants of political power, the superintendents have said their boycott of the textbook is a voluntary resolution.

Needless to say, superintendents have neither the authority over, nor qualifications for, textbook selection. Publishing companies have the right to edit and write textbooks and school councils have the power to select them. Superintendents are administrative education officials, not scholars who can determine the veracity of a textbook’s content. However, superintendents do have the power to make personnel appointments and determine budgets. Therefore, they could potentially force the heads of schools to refrain from choosing a particular textbook. Already, some school principals have been known to have pressured teachers to replace the textbook in question, Kumsung Publishing’s “A Modern and Contemporary History of Korea.”

Scholars had already concluded that there were no problems with the textbook in terms of the accuracy of its content. When former lawmaker Kwon Chul-hyun, who is now serving as ambassador to Japan, raised questions about the textbook at a parliamentary audit in 2004 and the right-wing organization Textbook Forum took up the issue again in 2005, many historians did not agree with their arguments against the book. Instead, the Grand National Party and right-wing organizations were accused of trying to place education under political control and their biased view of history. In fact, the conservatives demonstrated a clear pro-Japan, pro-chaebol and pro-dictatorship stance by spreading words of praise for Japanese colonial rule, national division and the military dictatorships of the past.

With scholars showing a lukewarm response, in an odd move the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry asked the Education Ministry to revise the textbook earlier this year. Since then, the ministry has pressured Kumsung Publishing to revise the textbook and the superintendents have now jumped on the bandwagon, wielding their power over school principals. The government seems to be allowing certain people to become textbook authors, such as politicians who want to exploit education as a mechanism of power, professors who sell their consciences for power, education officials who act as the government’s servants and businessmen who pursue only profits.

A superintendent is someone who should be making an effort to insulate schools from political influence. Even if a textbook contains incorrect information, superintendents should let academics volunteer to correct the information. But now they have dragged politics into education. At this point, it will be impossible to avoid a conflict over keeping the neutrality of education. How will they take responsibility?

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]