Canadian parents pull daughter from controversial Confucius Institute Program, calls it “inherently propaganda”
DHARAMSALA, 10 April: Amidst greater scrutiny over China’s controversial Confucius Institute(CI) across the world, a Canadian couple has pulled their daughter from China’s controversial Confucius Institute(CI) program and called the program “inherently propaganda”, reports the Epoch Times.
Bronwen Bonney and Parker Coates were reported to be startled as their child was enrolled in the program without their knowledge at her school in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
The CI program was reportedly launched in New Brunswick in 2007 and by 2016 441 students were enrolled in the program that is being operated in 28 schools in the province, the report said and added that the province’s new minister of education, Dominic Cardy plans to close the province’s CIs by June this year after he criticized the program for offering a “one-dimensional” view of China in February.
The couple has described the program as “inherently propaganda” that aims to influence people’s views on China, according to a report on the CBC.
CI which are funded by Beijing has come under increasing international scrutiny off late. A central part of China’s soft power plan, it aims to improve the global view of China’s authoritarian system.
Rights groups and activists say it threatens academic freedom and free speech. Confucius Institutes aim to censor and silence discussions on important political and human rights issues like Tibet, East Turkestan, Taiwan, Falun Gong and Tiananmen Square.
With a string of closure of CI’s across academic institutions throughout the world and the governments alike openly attempting to masquerade Confucius Institute as a subvert threat, the real intention of the CI is obvious.
