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It is a well-known saying that the person who pays has control over what happens, and this holds true in both business and education. Currently, in Oklahoma, we find ourselves in a situation where the Chinese government is financing our public schools, and their objective is to promote propaganda targeted at the young minds of our state.
The focal point of this issue is the so-called “Confucius Institutes.” While some defenders of the Beijing regime may argue that these programs are simply aimed at teaching students about Chinese history and culture, or providing professional development for teachers, the reality is that they are nothing more than PR operations funded by the government. Their purpose is to manipulate American students’ perspectives on Xi Jinping’s oppressive and anti-American regime.
The problem with these China-backed programs, which began in 2004, is twofold. On one hand, they offer a platform for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to promote their propaganda under the guise of international education efforts, according to the National Association of Scholars. On the other hand, they have been condemned for discouraging the discussion of “sensitive topics that might offend the Chinese Communist Party,” as reported by The New Republic. Ultimately, both issues stem from the same desire to control American institutions and shape them according to the CCP’s agenda.
Although many of these programs were shut down due to policies implemented during the Trump administration, several have resurfaced under different names and forms. According to a recent report from the NAS, around 28 educational institutions have replaced the old Confucius Institutes with similar programs. Additionally, many K-12 “Confucius Classrooms” continue to operate in the United States even after the closure of their sponsoring Confucius Institute, with many staff members seamlessly transitioning to other replacement programs.
COMMUNIST-BACKED CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES RENEW BID TO SHAPE AMERICAN MINDS
I recently faced criticism for raising concerns about these programs in Oklahoma, but I stand firm in my position. Chinese propaganda should have no place in our schools, or any educational institution in the United States for that matter. Just as students should not be indoctrinated with radical ideologies about race, sex, or gender, they should also not be subjected to the brainwashing efforts of a foreign adversary. In the same vein, teachers should not be silenced or censored by a mob of woke students or college administrators, and American institutions should not import censorship from a repressive and anti-American regime.
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The Trump administration was correct in requiring American colleges and universities to disclose their relationships with these communist propaganda offices. Unfortunately, the Biden administration quietly rescinded this policy soon after taking office in 2021. However, there is still more that can be done at both the federal and state levels to combat this pervasive presence within our education system. The next Republican president will have the opportunity not only to reinstate the transparency policy introduced by Trump but also to go further by withholding federal funds from institutions that choose to maintain corrosive partnerships with Beijing. Moreover, Congress possesses the power to advocate for such policies through bills that allocate funding for the Department of Education and related school programs. At the state level, it is imperative for legislators to take decisive action against these programs, which pose a threat to our ideals and national security, and implement measures to remove Confucius Classrooms and similar initiatives from our public schools.
UNITED STATES – NOVEMBER 26: A plaque and a flag hang outside the China Institute, home of the Confucius Institute, at 125 E 65th Street in New York, U.S., on Monday, Nov. 26, 2007. The Chinese government’s Office of the Chinese Language Council International, which has established 135 Confucius Institutes worldwide, is part of a broad campaign involving investment, aid and diplomacy as well as cultural outreach, all aimed at smoothing China’s path to great-power status. (Photo by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images) (Photo by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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This should not be a divisive subject, and anyone who recognizes the threat posed by Communist China’s aims to undermine our freedoms, prosperity, and way of life knows this. If the Kremlin had attempted to establish Soviet-funded “education programs” in American classrooms fifty years ago, our country would have swiftly put an end to it — despite the complaints of a small number of hardcore communist sympathizers within colleges and universities. It is time for us to approach the current endeavors of the Chinese Communist Party with the same level of seriousness, earnestness, and unity.
American public schools should prioritize the educational and societal needs of our country and its students, rather than the global aspirations of foreign tyrants. As long as I have the privilege of serving the parents, students, and teachers of Oklahoma, that is precisely what I intend to do.
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