Math Textbooks Draw Controversy Over Illustrations

People’s Education Press has come under fire since late May for strange and disturbing illustrations in its math textbooks used in many elementary schools nationwide for the past decade. Posted images showed drawings of children with wide-set eyes, strange expressions and even outlines of genitals through their pants. One of the textbooks featured an incorrectly drawn Chinese flag, while another showed a bunch of boys chasing girls and pulling at their skirts. Netizens criticized the drawings for featuring children dressed in shirts with the US flag and wearing headphones with the Captain America insignia. Netizens said the problematic illustrations had been brought to light by teachers and parents years earlier, but did not draw enough attention. China’s Ministry of Education has pledged to change the illustrations and thoroughly check all textbooks nationwide for similar issues.