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Museum worthy of attention

Your article mentioned the opening of a human rights museum in Taipei ("Human rights museum to open in March,"Aug. 4, page 2), so I wanted to let you know about another new museum that is very important for the nation's democratic development that opened last year in Ilan County. It is called the Taiwan Democratic Movement Museum and is sponsored by Lin I-Hsiung's (林義雄) Tsunah Foundation.

The museum chronicles Taiwan's decades under authoritarian regimes and how the Taiwanese people sacrificed to bring human rights and democracy into their country. I have been able to see it for myself. As an American who loves freedom, I heartily recommend it to those who want to see the actual struggle of the Taiwanese people for freedom, the struggle so long hidden by KMT military dictatorship-era propaganda.

Even now, the history about Taiwan taught in many foreign countries has yet to catch up with the truth. And I think that is one reason the authoritarian regime of China can manipulate other nations so easily regarding Taiwan.

The only solution is the truth. So I think every foreigner living in Taiwan should take the opportunity to go to Ilan and visit this museum.

JOEL LINTON
Taipei

Cram schools don't help

Before reaching the end of William Hsieh's (謝永祿) opinion piece ("Importance of cram school's roles overlooked," Aug. 4, page 8) on why the Ministry of Education should not immediately implement it's proposed after-school programs, I could have guessed that Hsieh had vested interests in the cram-school industry. And, it turned out, that since Hsieh is the chief executive officer of the Taiwan Supplementary Education Association, I was correct.

I applaud the ministry's program (although I concur that if the program is implemented too hastily, and without appropriate foresight and planning, it could be a disaster) for two reasons.

First, the exorbitant tuition charged by cram schools is beyond the financial means of many parents, and it is categorically unfair that less financially privileged children should not have the same educational opportunities as children from wealthier families.

Second, I feel that the cram school system is the bane of young students' lives. Sitting in class, hour upon hour, deprives them of a more enriching and fulfilling life.

There are many experiences and much knowledge that they are not given the opportunity to absorb because they are stuck behind a desk from morning until night, even during their summer and winter "vacations."

Compared with Western students, the amount of time spent in classrooms by Taiwanese students is far greater, but can you say that young Taiwanese are better off than their Western counterparts or more prepared to face the real world after their education is completed?

The reality is probably the opposite, because young Taiwanese have fewer "life experiences" and because all of their time is spent preparing for exams, they have little knowledge of the world and society outside of their isolated environment.

If cram schools are really necessary because the students aren't being taught properly in their regular schools, or because the teachers can't cover all of the material required by the curriculum, then that is clearly indicative of a more serious problem in the education system (and perhaps more so with the parents).

Unfortunately, changing this deeply rooted tradition would require a drastic shift in social consciousness.

At any rate, I hope the ministry's plan is successful, and that with the ongoing education reform the pressure of exams can be greatly reduced and the cram school industry gradually phased out. Taiwan's young people would all benefit from this.

David Evseeff
Taipei
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