When President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) visited Tainan in May, university students staged a protest against the government’s plan to recognize Chinese college diplomas. Just six months later, the Ministry of Education (MOE) is implementing Ma’s wishes by announcing that diplomas issued by 41 Chinese universities will be recognized and that Chinese students will be allowed to study in Taiwan.
No public consensus has been reached on recognizing Chinese credentials or allowing Chinese students to study at Taiwanese universities. These policies clearly violate the right of Taiwanese students and recent young graduates. It is enough to make one wonder if the ministry only wants to serve China.
The view that accepting Chinese students is a way to increase the student supply is nothing more than “sugarcoated poison.” For better off Chinese families, Taiwan will not be the first choice. Statistics from the ministry’s Mainland Affairs Division show a total of 1,055 Chinese students visited Taiwan for short-term study last year.
Ninety-six Taiwanese colleges and universities have signed academic cooperation agreements with China. From a business perspective, this amounts to an average of about 11 Chinese students per school. Although the ministry is extending the length for short-term study in to one year this year, this will merely lead to an increase of no more than 200 to 300 Chinese students.
In terms of the proclaimed positive effects of the opening up policy, no official dares promise any such benefits. But negative effects are self-evident, as Chinese students will crowd out Taiwanese students from first-class universities. The ministry is lobbying private schools and trying to influence public opinion by confusing things by talking about the stimulus of cultural diversity and breaking up isolationist attitudes.
However, it is clear for everyone to see that while announcing these two policies, the ministry was working under cover to recognize Chinese credentials, although this has been strongly opposed by Taiwanese academia and students. An opinion poll by Taiwan Thinktank found that 73 percent of respondents opposed this policy. The government is trying to achieve its goal through policy maneuvers.
The problem with a serious shortage of students for so-called low-achieving colleges had been ridiculed by the ministry in the past, with the government claiming it would never take over private schools that would have to close down. Now, for the sake of Chinese diploma recognition, it is using student shortages at private schools as an exercise.
For private schools, a few Chinese students are better than nothing, but for the public, this policy of allowing Chinese students in and accepting Chinese diplomas will cause great harm.
The educational version of the “boldly go west” policy will encourage Taiwanese to study in China and become the future “reserve” for Beijing’s united front strategy, while weakening first-class Taiwanese universities’ cultivation of people devoted to this land. On the other hand, certain schools will inevitably cater to the complementary measures for Chinese student by serving as a night school for the Chinese.
Such bad distribution and abuse of educational resources will have a long-term impact, and Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji’s (吳清基) explanation of the government’s rationale for this police is unacceptable.
As next month’s mayoral, county commissioner and councilor elections approach, voters should force the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to clarify its policies.
Chiu Li-li is a Democratic Progressive Party Tainan City councilor.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
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