The most important thing about a university is its spirit.
Human civilization began with intellectuals and literati exploring the meaning of life. Their efforts opened new possibilities and led to social progress and the development of humanity’s relationship with nature. The spirit of universities is based on independence and freedom.
A university should be more than a vocational school. It is not a business or an escape from society — nor should it be a sanctuary for the powerful.
As independent institutions, universities should be the leaders of societies and nations, beacons of wisdom and compasses that always point toward progress.
However, the majority of universities in Taiwan have become no different from vocational schools or diploma mills.
Due to this focus, many five-year junior colleges have turned into technical colleges and then into universities of science and technology. This obsession has also led to an overabundance of bachelor’s degree holders.
Shortly after World War II, many Taiwanese who graduated from vocational schools under the Japanese educational system — with specializations in business, industry or agriculture — became the backbone of the nation’s economy in every sphere.
While there are now more universities, many bachelor’s degree holders appear to be poorly educated and lacking in skills; they often have to go through additional training when joining a company — a sign that the education system is deeply problematic.
In the past, only privileged people, such as members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), government officials, high-ranking military officers, special agents and people close to them, were granted permission to open private schools.
It was not until later that such permissions were extended to people outside these groups.
Today, there are universities everywhere. Due to a declining birth rate, many public and private universities have become diploma mills, prioritizing profits.
As a result, academic standards have dropped. Universities are no longer like universities. There are master’s and doctoral degree holders in every street corner who lack any particular skills. All signs point to serious problems in the nation’s education system.
To increase enrollment numbers, many universities have signed humiliating contracts with the Beijing government in the hope of gaining more Chinese students.
More than half of all private and public universities, including Shih Hsin University and National Tsing Hua University, have reportedly signed such contracts.
These contracts not only degrade universities, but also shows a lack of respect for the nation. That such a slavish, self-degrading, shameless contract would become the norm only goes to show that many Taiwanese have a serious problem with how they define their national identity.
This is both a political and a cultural problem.
Universities lacking academic spirit can be found everywhere and education is all about diplomas and degrees, suggesting not only an educational crisis, but also a national crisis.
In the face of growing Chinese pressure, Taiwanese must be rid of the habit of self-degradation.
If not, how will Taiwan be rebuilt, a nation that has been ruled by the authoritarian KMT for decades and that is still trying to build a national identity apart from the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China?
Lee Min-yung is a poet.
Translated by Tu Yu-an
When US budget carrier Southwest Airlines last week announced a new partnership with China Airlines, Southwest’s social media were filled with comments from travelers excited by the new opportunity to visit China. Of course, China Airlines is not based in China, but in Taiwan, and the new partnership connects Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport with 30 cities across the US. At a time when China is increasing efforts on all fronts to falsely label Taiwan as “China” in all arenas, Taiwan does itself no favors by having its flagship carrier named China Airlines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is eager to jump at
The muting of the line “I’m from Taiwan” (我台灣來欸), sung in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), during a performance at the closing ceremony of the World Masters Games in New Taipei City on May 31 has sparked a public outcry. The lyric from the well-known song All Eyes on Me (世界都看見) — originally written and performed by Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One (玖壹壹) — was muted twice, while the subtitles on the screen showed an alternate line, “we come here together” (阮作伙來欸), which was not sung. The song, performed at the ceremony by a cheerleading group, was the theme
Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised eyebrows recently when he declared the era of American unipolarity over. He described America’s unrivaled dominance of the international system as an anomaly that was created by the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. Now, he observed, the United States was returning to a more multipolar world where there are great powers in different parts of the planet. He pointed to China and Russia, as well as “rogue states like Iran and North Korea” as examples of countries the United States must contend with. This all begs the question:
In China, competition is fierce, and in many cases suppliers do not get paid on time. Rather than improving, the situation appears to be deteriorating. BYD Co, the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer by production volume, has gained notoriety for its harsh treatment of suppliers, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability. The case also highlights the decline of China’s business environment, and the growing risk of a cascading wave of corporate failures. BYD generally does not follow China’s Negotiable Instruments Law when settling payments with suppliers. Instead the company has created its own proprietary supply chain finance system called the “D-chain,” through which
RSS