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Teachers' unions divided over history textbooks

Two teachers' unions were divided Friday on the government's decision to reintroduce a single set of history textbooks for secondary school students.

On Monday, the Ministry of Education announced that history textbooks for middle and high school students nationwide will be authored by the government starting in the 2017 school year.

"Teaching everyone the same truths is needed in order to establish the right view of history and the nation for our future generations," Ahn Yang-ok, chief of the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, the nation's largest teachers' union, told Yonhap News Agency.

The KFTA chief also said students will be able to have a balanced view of history through a single set of history books authored by the government-designated writers.

The government started publishing school history textbooks under the authoritarian Park Chung-hee government in 1974. It relinquished the power to private publishers in 2011 under a government monitoring system.

Liberals argue that the government should enhance the monitoring system of the current government-authorized textbooks instead of the adoption of state-published books.

"A government-authorized textbook is right for general subjects, but a history textbook that is based on facts should be state-written," Ahn said.

As to the issue of how to write about contentious modern history, the KFTA chief acknowledged the need to re-establish that part of history.

The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, a progressive umbrella union of teachers, has waged a campaign against the government's decision to publish state textbooks.

"It is the government's intention to control the people through a single history textbook," Byun Seong-ho, chairman of the KTU, told Yonhap News Agency.

"Taking over the publication of history textbooks is the Park Geun-hye administration's attempt to secure the legitimacy of reforming the labor market," Byun said.

As to the issue of modern history, Byun argued that the government is trying to glorify the days of the Yushin authoritarian rule under the Park Chung-hee administration.

The Yushin Constitution, adopted by the elder Park, father of current President Park, in 1972, greatly expanded presidential powers and allowed presidents to be re-elected without term limits.

"There is no reason to push ahead with the decision without holding a single hearing but to glorify the dictatorship," Byun said.

Currently, secondary school history textbooks are published by eight private publishing companies after being approved by an independent textbook review committee of experts. Schools choose from any of the eight textbooks, while primary schools have a single set of state-authored history textbooks. (Yonhap)