Tzeng mulls recognition of Chinese universities

Minister of Education Ovid Tzeng (曾志朗) said yesterday that from an educational viewpoint, the time for Taiwan to recognize China's academic accreditation has come.

Nevertheless, Tzeng said, the government must still consider national security issues when deciding whether to recognize diplomas awarded by selected Chinese colleges and universities.

Tzeng said the Ministry of Education is not against recognizing China's academic accreditation, but will respect the stance of the Mainland Affairs Council.

In his view, Tzeng said, Taiwan should recognize China's academic accreditation no later than the opening of direct trade, mail and transportation links across the Taiwan Strait.

As for whether the Taiwan government is likely to recognize such accreditation before the opening of the direct cross-strait "three links," Tzeng said it remains unclear, since relevant government agencies have yet to draw up a timetable for implementing the measures.

Former Minister of Education Wu Jin (吳京) drafted a plan to recognize accreditation from 73 Chinese colleges and universities. The plan, however, was aborted due to opposition from some lawmakers and the incident reportedly led Wu to leave his post.

Asked whether the previous plan will remain valid once the education ministry formally decides to recognize Chinese academic accreditation, Tzeng said that as China has been actively pushing for mergers and integration of its high-level educational institutions in recent years, the list drawn up by Wu will have to be revised.

Tzeng said the education ministry will invite scholars and experts to carefully evaluate the teaching facilities, faculties and reputations of each school before recognition is put into force.

From the international viewpoint, Tzeng said, Taiwan will face the impact of allowing foreign schools, including Chinese schools, to set up branches in or recruit students from Taiwan once it is admitted to the WTO.

"Since Taiwan will enter the WTO sooner or later, our government and local universities should brace themselves for those challenges" Tzeng said.

Moreover, he said, since Taiwan plans to open its job market to Chinese science-technology professionals after the opening of the direct "three links," it must recognize Chinese academic accreditation. Otherwise, he said, the employment plan cannot become a reality.

With the number of Taiwanese students studying at Chinese universities increasing steadily, Tzeng said, the pressure to recognize Chinese diplomas is growing stronger.