China textbooks push ‘Xi Jinping thought’

China is amplifying efforts to exert its ideological influence in classrooms. Students this fall will be given new textbooks that emphasize Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s political thoughts and stress the importance of national security, the South China Morning Post reported. Beijing recently ordered teachers to pledge loyalty to the Communist Party and reportedly placed travel restrictions on them this summer.

The enforced patriotism in public schools is pushing some parents to choose private schools, Nikkei reported, but even those are under government scrutiny, with many Western educators quitting over mandated curriculum changes, according to The Guardian.