After the college entrance exams on July 3, students can now take a break for a while and choose the schools they are interested in. But this new phase poses its own set of problems. With the opening of new colleges and universities, there are now more than 150 institutions -- triple the amount in the past.
According to an assessment by the College Entrance Examination Center, the university acceptance rate is now expected to surge to 80 percent. This means 80 out of 100 students will be able to become freshmen. That's incredible. This means that even students with poor or average grades will have a chance to discover university life. But on the other hand, the high acceptance rate and number of new school openings could lead to the quality of education declining in the future.
The worst thing that could happen is that the acceptance of less qualified students could lead to a high dropout rate, resulting in more unemployment. Those dropouts will have to go without a diploma and opportunities for learning. If this happens, some colleges and universities will indeed have to face the music, and close.
Another problem is tuition. More and more private schools in Taiwan overcharge compared with public schools. The average tuition at a private school for one semester is between NT$50,000 and NT$60,000 (US$1,577 and US$1,893) which is much more than at a public school. In the past, public universities have been subsidized by the government, so the poor can afford such schools and save a lot of money.
Now, those institutions that we call "elite schools" are almost public schools, and obtain much support from the government. By contrast, some private universities do not serve their students well, and even exploit them for profits. This is ridiculous. Many students complain that, "The more tuition we pay, the less benefits we get."
Based on their sky-high acceptance rates recently, the schools' motivations are suspicious. Are they really committed to education, or do they merely want to make money?
A gap between city and rural areas is also increasingly apparent. There's no doubt that people get more information in the city than in the country, due to the availability of a wide variety of media.
In rural areas, children can't get a good education unless they have enough money. Also, they are not exposed to much new knowledge; in the end, the knowledge gap is widened because of economics. The problem has existed for many years. Now, with the rise in tuitions, many students can't afford schools they've been admitted to -- especially private universities -- and so take out huge loans from the government for their studies. But do they really consider the consequences of taking on so much debt?
I think it's not fair to allow such irresponsible behavior. It becomes a vicious cycle based on a fundamentally unequal relationship. The increased acceptance rate gives many students the right to be "well-educated," but they never think about the financial plight they may face after graduation.
The competition is going to be severe if there are fewer job openings than expected. That means unemployment will rise, with a high cost to society as a whole.
I have some suggestions for education officials. First, I assert that they should investigate every new school before granting a license in order to maintain high quality teaching. Second, tuition should be increased if necessary. Schools can decide whether to charge more money, but if they do so they need to make their budgets transparent so students can see where the extra money is going. Student associations should maintain close com- munication with schools.
Students also have the right to urge schools to improve. Of course, students must also work hard on their own, but schools should strictly maintain the quality of both students and teachers. This will guarantee a continued high level of education. The educational system should encourage children to specialize in more than one field, so they aren't pushed into too narrow a course of study. This will make it easier to build children's confidence and prepare them for their careers.
I think the responsibility for quality education rests with society as a whole, not just with the government and schools, and it will require a long-term effort. Some problems are not easy to tackle, but let's do our best.
Gary Lin
Pingtung
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