Over the last 10 years, the number of universities in Taiwan has increased several-fold. Still, government investment has not kept pace with this growth in higher education. In addition, the lack of far-reaching strategic planning and unfair allocation principles have caused higher education in Taiwan to sink into an unprecedented state of crisis.
We must choose one or two areas or global trends in which we can participate and then set a strategy for development, seriously implement that strategy and reflect upon the results -- this could be the basis for improvement in the future. And what's more, it is something that could -- and should be put into effect now.
Whether or not there is any hope for the future completely depends on if we can honestly face our dilemmas today -- and work with united wisdom and strength. And it especially depends on whether administrative departments possess the determination to break through traditional patterns of policy-making.
At times when resources are limited, setting priorities is something that every policy-maker should know how to do. Still, in the past we have rarely seen successful examples of this. Actually, the reason is quite simple: we don't have a good academic tradition. Because of this, it has been difficult to establish academic authority.
Twenty years ago, when there were strong leaders like Lee Kuo-ting (
Today, strongmen are no longer in place and neither is leadership. We've entered a phase in which limitations are imposed on all academic developments. At academic institutions and government agencies, there is no debate or consensus on the direction of future academic focus and the allocation of resources, much less any conclusions or the determination to implement such conclusions.
Is it true that academic development needs no focus? Is it true that no other country in the world has designated any priorities for academic development? The answer is no, of course. Take for example the UK, which has recently designated key areas for prioritized additional financial support.
Also, Japan's national budget for this year covers new research centers for nanotechnology, bioinformatics, genetic research and protein structure data.
These give us a glimpse of future trends in the development of science and technology around the world.
How should Taiwan select its key academic areas for development? There are two strategies: one is from the bottom up and the other is from the top down. Those in high-level positions can look at the overall direction of academic development in other countries, and decide on Taiwan's own key areas for development according to the number of academics, their strengths and weaknesses, the society's needs and economic development. Since they are key areas, there should not be too many of them and they should receive priority in resource allocation. After the key areas have been designated, it is up to local academia to propose creative research projects that incorporate Taiwan's advantages.
Competition should be encouraged in the developing cutting-edge academic areas. A set of regulations should also be set up to support academic fields in which Taiwan has advantages or special features. Cooperation between colleges and universities should also be encouraged.
To encourage the voluntary formation of academic research teams and to provide opportunities for creative and adventurous ideas to be tried out, the research projects should be divided into two types: pilot programs and extended programs.
There is no harm having a large number of pilot programs, but their time spans and budgets should be reduced. After two years, evaluations for extending programs should be made, based on the results of the research.
The extended programs should be long-term (five to seven years) and should be given ample budget support. Experts and scholars from other countries should be invited to sit on review committees for extended programs.
Excellence should be the only standard. Better to have no programs at all than have bad ones.
Attention is also needed to the cultivation and continuity of high-level talent. Other things, such as on-the-job training programs for high school and elementary school teachers, general knowledge courses at journalism departments and communication with the general public, are also important conditions that determine whether research in key academic fields can develop smoothly.
Chou Cheng-kung is a professor of life sciences at National Yang Ming University.
Translated by Francis Huang.
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