Under the credit system, students must earn a certain number of credits to graduate, but there is no time limit. Under this system, students would not have to face the threat of a "half" or a "two-thirds expulsion system." They would be able to study freely for as long as they needed to. This could lead, however, to an in-crease in the average number of years taken to graduate, produce more mature students and create a burden on the education system.
I believe the credit system should be adopted. Students who pursue their studies for too long, however, should be charged higher fees. Under the semester system, many students are often on the verge of being expelled due to the schools' "half" or "two-thirds expulsion system," but teachers tend not to fail them out of compassion. This situation is conducive neither to the cause of university autonomy nor to the raising of the academic standards of local universities.
Dung Bau-tscheng is a professor of law at National Chengchi University.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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