Taiwan should learn from Japan

From the "Iijima Ai (飯島愛) phenomenon" to the V6 craze, Taiwan's recent "Japan fever" -- aroused by the so-called "junkies for Japanese culture" (哈日族) -- has attracted great deal of public attention. Iijima Ai, a Japanese porn star, has actually become an idol of Taiwan's youth, and equally shared the limelight with the winner of last year's Nobel Prize for literature Gao Xingjian (高行健) at Taipei's international book fair.

The phenomenon has made educators, including myself, feel lost.

About 23 years ago, when I first began my eight years of study in Japan, I was stunned by the colorful variety shows and the zealous fans and groupies who followed celebrities wherever they went.

I disagreed with the phenomenon and told my classmates that such behavior would never take place in my country. During class discussions about the underlying causes for many young Japanese students' refusal to go to school, I also told my classmates Taiwan would not have such a problem, because cutting classes was considered taboo in Taiwan then.

Today, some 20 years later, however, increasing school violence, high numbers of drop-outs and the younger generation's crush on pop idols, especially Japanese pop idols, seem to have become the distinctive characteristics of Taiwan's youth.

During my studies in Japan, I heard discussions among Japanese pre-school educators about their society's over-emphasis on packaging, people's blind obsession for name-brands, and young children's lack of independence and innovation as a result of excessive pampering.

At the time, though, I just thought that the Japanese were making a mountain out of a molehill.

To my dismay, however, these same problems are now found in today's Taiwan. In fact, we have outdone Japan, as these problems have grown three-fold.

In Taiwan, "free competition and the market mechanism" (自由競爭, 市場機制) has now become the motto of the pre-school industry.

Although there are differences among kindergartens, nursery schools, "talent classes" (才藝班) and after-school classes (安親班), all these classes share one thing in common -- they hold the present and future of our kids in their hands. It is also common for one school to offer a variety of "talent classes," after-school child-care and even nursery classes all in one single building.

From dawn until dusk, one school does it all, be it education or babysitting.

A child may spend up to twelve hours each day for up to twelve years in such a school. The relationship lasts longer than the child's relationship with any other school or educational institution. Although this means endless business opportunities for schools, many dangers lurk behind such arrangements.

For example, these schools typically provide some very intensive curriculum. Mathematics, and language courses, particularly English, are highly popular.

Other popular subjects include art, music, computing and physical education.

Most schools tell parents, "Your children can learn whatever subject they want here." Just as in universities, each course is taught by a professional in the subject.

In contrast, although Japanese children also take talent classes, their parents have to arrange for such classes separately as they are not included in the regular kindergarten curriculum. In fact, Japanese educators now believe that schools cannot escape responsibility for the rampant value confusions in modern Japanese society.