Local language builds communities

The Ministry of Education's decision to make classes in local languages (the languages regarded as indigenous to Taiwan, namely Hokkien, Hakka and Aboriginal languages) compulsory for students in grades one through six is both a welcome and worrisome move. The long-awaited passage of the policy will infuse new blood into vernacular language education, but we are concerned that local governments may not implement the policies effectively.

As local languages are a part of daily life, it is an open question whether we should force such a policy through educational administrative institutions without reference to the local educational system and the Local Autonomy Law (地方制度法). Several counties led by DPP county commissioners have long been including classes for local languages as one way to make their educational policies distinctive.

Long before the order was handed down by the central government, these counties had already designed local language teaching materials, trained teachers and held speech contests in these languages. Both instructors and pupils have enjoyed these courses tremendously. Needless to say, county commissioners have played a critical role in promoting local language education. We can see conspicuous accomplishments in Ilan County (宜蘭縣), Taipei County (台北縣), and Pingtung County (屏東縣), all of which are run by DPP county commissioners.

After the promulgation of the Local Autonomy Law, education became one of the basic responsibilities of local government. However, except for continuing to expand the educational establishment and raising the rank of officials, one has not seen any significant acts of educational reform. The Basic Education Act (教育基本法) stipulates that all county governments are entitled to establish educational councils to examine educational policies and finances. Yet, I feel that many county educational councils have been focusing too much on selecting the school principals, but not on observing the educational principles.

Here are some of my suggestions:

First, substantial control over education should be delegated to local governments. All local governments should evaluate their educational achievements based on the stipulations of the Basic Education Act. With county commissioners investing half of their financial resources in education, they should not forget that local language education is the foundation of the localization of education. The Ministry of Education should focus on not only issuing policies, but also monitoring their implementation. Officials of the Ministry of Education should maintain a dialogue with county leaders and encourage local governments to become actively involve in educational reform.

Second, local language education should be treated as more than an academic course at schools. It should contain the elements of teaching a living Taiwanese culture.

The Ministry of Education should subsidize local educational reform -- a movement focusing on instruction in local languages based on local culture and characteristics. A sound educational policy should also instill the ideas of loving others and caring for the whole community into students' minds.

Generally speaking, local languages are at the heart of community reconstruction. The reconstruction project after the 921 earthquake needs to include local language education and the idea that one should respect the culture and the living space of all people. Those who do not live in the quake-stricken areas should support reconstruction work by providing community resources. In other areas, educational-oriented communities established by the Ministry of Education will draw on community and family resources.

Local government Educational Bureaus should grasp this opportunity to review and reform local education.

Teng Yun-lin is the former Director of the Bureau of Education of the Taipei County Government, and currently a professor at Hsuan Chuang University.