In a speech on Wednesday to the nation’s civil servants, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said that maintaining sovereignty and ensuring the interests of Taiwanese remained the guiding principles of the government’s cross-strait policy.
“We should not do things that are not beneficial to the public. Those who execute cross-strait policies should act as gatekeepers when necessary and step on the brakes where necessary to maintain these principles,” the premier said.
Wu did not provide examples in the government’s current China policy that could be considered “putting the brakes on.” He would do well to look into a set of regulations recently promulgated by the Ministry of Education and — in his own words — “step on the brakes” to make sure Taiwanese interests are upheld.
A notice on Oct. 2 that the ministry issued to all local government education bureaus demanded they provide schooling assistance to Chinese spouses’ adopted children or children from previous marriages, as outlined in the Guidelines Governing the Education of the Children of Outstanding Overseas Science and Technology Talents (境外優秀科學技術人才子女來台就學辦法).
The notice immediately led to mixed interpretations. While Tainan City councilors across party lines interpreted the notice as an instruction to local education bureaus to give these children preferential treatment — such as enrolling them in public schools and giving them bonus points on college entrance exams — the ministry said the articles would not apply to this group, and that children from China would not be granted preferential benefits.
It is understandable that the ministry wishes to address the rights of China-born children and provide them with an amicable educational environment. However, a fair set of rules must be mapped out to ensure Taiwan-born children’s rights are not harmed as a result.
Details are yet to be clarified, but the fact that the notice was issued specifically in regard to Chinese spouses’ children from previous marriages is intriguing enough.
Why must the government single out children of Chinese spouses and allow them to use such guidelines? Such a decision could spur cases of forgery and fake adoption.
Local media recently reported that more than one in three Taiwanese colleges are likely to close in the next 12 years because of a shortage of students as the nation’s birth rate falls.
These regulations from the ministry will hardly encourage families to have more children if they believe that one day their children’s rights will be undermined.
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