Netizens scrutinise MOE’s approaches to address Gaza conflict in CCE lesson

SINGAPORE: Online communities scrutinise the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Singapore for its approaches in designing Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The ministry is now facing criticism for perceived failures in addressing the prolonged suffering of Palestinians, accused of presenting a biased perspective on the prolonged conflicts to students.

Additionally, numerous netizens are calling for decisive action, including urging fellow Singaporeans to write to MOE to reconsider the content in question.

Backlash against CCE lessons

Recent online criticism has surfaced regarding MOE’s CCE lessons.

Launched in February of this year, the lesson aims to cover contemporary issues, including the Israel-Hamas conflict. Despite the one-hour time limit and the preparation required for resources, the curriculum only spans developments from October 7 to December 2023.

An open letter published last Friday (23 February) in the ‘Suara Melayu Singapura‘ Facebook group articulates deep concerns from parents regarding the portrayal and teaching of these issues in primary and secondary schools.

The teaching has been criticized for lacking accurate historical narration of events related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There are accusations that students attempting to correct misinformation are allegedly being disregarded, silenced, or, in some cases, met with punishment.

Some online criticisms further claim that teachers are restricted from offering additional insights beyond the prescribed curriculum.

This led MOE to respond to social media critique earlier and defend its balanced teaching on the conflict, emphasizing empathy and critical thinking in lessons, despite concerns over content neutrality and historical depth.

The curriculum includes discussions on various contemporary issues, such as casual racism, mental well-being, and other global conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war.

However, some educational materials have come under scrutiny for omitting critical information.

Lesson slides include a summary of key events in the Israel-Palestine conflict since 1948 and a summary of Hamas, highlighting its non-recognition of Israel’s right to exist.

Notably absent were mentions of Israel’s non-recognition of a Palestinian state and recent accusations against Israel of committing acts of genocide against Palestinians.

MOE criticised for alleged ‘cherry-picking’ facts and overlooking prolonged Palestinian suffering

Following MOE’s statement last Friday, numerous netizens have expressed their opinions on MOE’s official Facebook post, engaging in heated discussions.

Many are questioning MOE’s approaches in addressing the Israel-Palestinian issues, accusing them of “cherry-picking” facts and failing to address the prolonged suffering of the Palestinian people.

One netizen raised a pertinent question, asking whether MOE is ensuring a comprehensive factual context in educating the youth about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rather than selectively focusing on developments from 7 October 2023.

“What about the illegal settlements, the nakba, the continuous harrassment of the local populace that is well documented? What about the 30000 people that died, mostly women and children?”

He went on to question whether the portrayal of retaliation is deemed acceptable, especially in light of claims to adhere to “international law,” and whether the educational approach involves cherry-picking and placing blame solely on one side without presenting the full context of the situation.

Another netizen suggested that the topic should be completely omitted from school discussions. He pointed out the inconsistency of permitting discussions in schools while rallies and demonstrations are restricted for public safety reasons.

Calls to release lesson content for open discussion

A concerned parent questions why they are kept in the dark about MOE’s approach to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

He urged MOE to share the slides for parental judgment on neutrality, as the leaked ones lack the ‘neutrality’ the ministry aims for.

Amidst the concerns, some are advocating for proactive measures from parents. This includes encouraging them to take decisive action such as writing to MOE and initiating petitions to voice their dissent over the education content.

The goal is to exert pressure on the ministry to thoroughly review and reconsider the content in question.

A netizen expressed satisfaction, observing that amidst the backlash, it’s heartening to see many Singaporeans from various ethnicities acknowledging the actual truth.