Teachers have ordered that the words “reunification,” “reconciliation” and “compatriots” be manually removed by North Korean authorities from textbooks under the party’s updated policy. This was reported by the South Korean publication Daily NK on April 8.
According to the publication, the DPRK Ministry of Education initiated this process after the country’s leader Kim Jong-un’s keynote speech to the Supreme People’s Assembly in January, calling for the removal of these words.
“This year, schools were ordered to use pens or pencils to cross out words banned by the government in textbooks.”“an anonymous source told Daily NK, adding that the order was “implemented by teaching staff.”
It is also reported that in March of this year, the educational authorities ordered a review of all textbooks and decided to prepare a new edition of them.
In January this year, Kim Jong Un said that unification with South Korea was no longer possible and that North Korea’s constitution should be amended to declare it the nation’s “main enemy,” the BBC reported.
He also added that if war breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, the country’s constitution should reflect the issue of “occupation”, “return” and “incorporation” of the southern territories into the DPRK.
The move prompted government departments such as North Korea’s Ministry of Education to initiate changes to the school curriculum, Daily NK reported.
“The teachers explained to their students that the orders must be followed because they are in line with the party’s efforts to create a correct view of history,” the source said.
Teachers who do not follow orders will be subject to disciplinary action.
“Teachers were asked to spend five minutes before class crossing out phrases defined by the Party and giving students a proper understanding of the Party’s policies.”the source said.
In February and March of this year, North Korean teachers received a short sermon from provincial, municipal and district education authorities.
The teachers were told that they were “revolutionaries charged with preparing the next generation that will lead the future of the country, and that they must be prepared ideologically, as only those revolutionaries should be,” the source said.
Some teachers found the manual review of textbooks and the ban on even saying the word “meeting” in classes “ridiculous,” a source told Daily NK.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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