A statement by the Chinese Ministry of Education announced on Monday the dismissal or punishment of 27 officials for their role in the publishing of an educational book with "ugly" illustrations.
"#China punished 2 dozen education officials over a series of math textbook drawings that officials claim portrayed the nation’s children as “ugly”...“Some characters are ugly, show poor spirit & style & do not reflect a positive image of our children”https://t.co/xPEd9baOVD
— China Beige Book (@ChinaBeigeBook) August 24, 2022
According to the Chinese Ministry of Education, the 27 officials who work for a publishing agency owned by the Chinese government and called People's Education Society "have not met the basic requirement of moral education", by passing a math educational book that contained illustrations deemed "unaesthetic".
The statement explained that the decision toward the 27 officials was perceived by an investigation and went on to describe the illustrations included in the math book that was published in May 2022 as "ugly, and showing a poor spirit and style", urging publishers to present illustrations that better "represent the positive image of the nation's children".
27 officials at a Chinese state-owned publisher have been disciplined over “ugly” drawings in a math textbook for kids:
— David Paulk (@davidpaulk) August 24, 2022
“Some illustrated characters are ugly, show poor spirit and style, and do not reflect a positive image of our nation’s children.” https://t.co/AcLBufPSJk pic.twitter.com/5xQyZqodiu
The investigation also found some of the photos to be "sexually suggestive" and "pro-American", in terms of style and values.
In recent years, Chinese authorities have ramped up their censorship of educational curricula, which has been interpreted as an attempt to grow a sense of national identity among students in different levels.
