Toronto schools reject tie-up with China’s Confucius Institute
Canada’s largest school district ended a planned partnership with China’s government-funded Confucius Institute on Wednesday, a move likely to irritate Beijing.
Canada’s largest school district officially ended a planned partnership with China’s government-funded Confucius Institute on Wednesday, a move likely to irritate Beijing just days before Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is due to visit.
Trustees at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), which oversees public schools with 232,000 students, severed its ties to the language and cultural programme after parents, teachers and students protested against any involvement of the Chinese government in Canadian schools.
“It is clear to me that this partnership is not aligned with TDSB and community values, and its continuation is not appropriate.”
The move follows similar cancellations of Confucius Institute programmes at universities in Canada and the United States amid concerns they restrict academic freedom, conduct surveillance of Chinese students abroad and promote the political aims of China’s ruling Communist Party.
“It is clear to me that this partnership is not aligned with TDSB and community values, and its continuation is not appropriate,” Trustee Pamela Gough said in an email before the vote.
“My concern is that the Confucius Institute is directly controlled by the Communist Party of China, and there is irrefutable evidence that the party exerts its influence through [the institute], for example in restricting freedom of speech on the part of [its] teachers hired in China.”
The cancellation could further strain bilateral relations between Ottawa and Beijing. Harper is expected to visit China next week ahead of a multilateral summit as the two countries seek to resolve disputes over cybersecurity and spying.