This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mr. Ku Kuan-min. Today, the Ku Kuan-min Foundation held the opening ceremony of the "Rebels—Ku Kuan-min and Their Revolutionary Era" commemorative exhibition at the National Memorial Hall on February 28. Following the life path of Mr. Ku Kuan-min, the Ku Kuan-min Foundation reviewed the magnificent overseas Taiwanese independence movement and Taiwan's democratization. Minister of Education Cheng Ying Yiu attended the event and said that the true inheritance from generation to generation is not just about remembering a name, but about understanding the courage, commitment and choices displayed by the predecessors at critical moments in history.
In his speech, Cheng Yingyao pointed out, "To what extent can we achieve the values we recognize?" He calls himself a senior angry youth in the Ministry of Education. He has seen Ku Kuan-min go through his life and devote himself to Taiwan's freedom, democracy, human rights and public affairs with firm beliefs and actions. How did Taiwan’s freedom come about today? As an educator, how should we continue this lesson and hand over this precious historical memory to the next generation?
"This is a profound and far-reaching responsibility for educators!" Cheng Yingyao believes that education should not just recite history, but let the next generation truly understand that the freedom, human rights, and rule of law that Taiwan enjoys today are not taken for granted, but an everyday democratic process that has been protected by generations of people.
In terms of history education, Cheng Yingyao explained that starting this year, the Ministry of Education has arranged for Taiwan’s high school principals and first- and second-level supervisors of the Ministry of Education to leave their offices and enter the White Terror Green Island Memorial Park to hold Ministry of Education ministry meetings to witness Taiwan’s past authoritarian history. “We no longer just listen to one-way tours, but stand at the historical scene of the White Terror, listen to the life stories of our predecessors, and think about how to transform them into a force that inspires students.”
Cheng Yingyao said that the Ministry of Education is working on revising a new version of the "National Transformation Action Plan for Justice Education". Looking back on history is not to dwell on the pain of the past, but to establish a direction for Taiwan's future so that it cannot repeat the same mistakes. In addition, the Ministry of Education is working with colleges, universities, primary and secondary schools, and local cultural and historical workers to take children out of the classroom to get close to local history.
Cheng Yingyao continued that in March this year, the Ministry of Education also launched the "Have you made up the lessons?" online history education area to tell the stories of this land from a perspective close to the younger generation. True inheritance from generation to generation is not just about remembering a name, but about understanding the courage, commitment and choices shown by our predecessors at critical moments in history.
