Teachers' group calls for Jin-Wen to be dissolved

The Ministry of Education should dissolve the financially troubled Jin-Wen Institute of Technology (景文技術學院), the National Teachers' Association said yesterday.

That would eliminate irregularities at the school and allow it to merge with an institution of firmer financial footing, the group said.

Liao Chun-jen (廖俊仁), deputy director of the association, said a ministry proposal to choose new board members for the school wouldn't address the institution's inherent problems.

"The plan put forth by the education ministry ... is totally absurd and will only lead down the same old disastrous path that led to the school's previous chaotic condition," Liao said.

"The only way to revive the school and provide students and teachers with a sound learning and working environment is to not only disband the board, but also dissolve the school itself and merge it with another, well-run private school."

The ministry took over the school in August after former chairman Chang Wan-li (張萬利) was found to have embezzled more than NT$200 million from Jin-Wen and fled abroad.

The ministry's plan is to install a new 15-person board to replace the one it disbanded in March. Six of the members would be elected by a special committee of academics under the supervision of the ministry. The remaining nine, according to the ministry's plan, would be investors capable of taking over the NT$1.2 billion debt left by Chang.

But teachers at the troubled institution and representatives of the association said yesterday that they were opposed to the ministry's plan.

They said that the potential for misconduct among board members would not be eliminated because nine of the new directors -- as investors -- would still have an incentive to use the school for personal profit, as was the case under Chang.

They also accused the ministry of failing to prevent old board members and directors loyal to Chang from meddling in the formation of the new board.

Wang Fu-lin (王福林), deputy chief of the ministry's department of technological and vocational education, told the Taipei Times that it was impossible to prevent "bad old forces" from influencing the establishment of the new board.

"There is no way we can prevent the intervention of `old forces,' because they used to be board members and it is natural for them to show their concern," Wang said.

The ministry official also said that Jin-Wen, with more than 10,000 students and 200 faculty members, was too large to be dissolved and merged with another school.

For the sake of the students and teachers, the association urged the ministry to dissolve the school and combine it with another private school that has sound operations.

They also asked that the school be renamed so that its students and faculty won't be affected by the scandal.