Shih Ying an education `daredevil'

Shih Ying (史英), a high-profile pioneer of education reform and founder of the Humanistic Edu-cation Foundation (人本教育文教基金會), recently released books criticizing what he says have been the rigid and dogmatic teaching methods used in the nation's classrooms.

The two books, collections of articles on Shih's humanistic philosophy of education reform, demonstrate values of optimism and respect for humanity to which Shih believes every educator must adhere.

However, his desire for reform comes up against the existing bureaucratic and rigid system that he has criticized. Shih's views are seen as acrimonious and radical by teachers who cling to the current system.

Shih was a member of Ministry of Education's Committee for Nine Year Education Curriculum from 2000 to last year, but ended up quitting the committee because his views did not win the general approval of other reformers on the board.

Shih insisted that the key to education reform is changing teachers' attitudes.

"Education reform should alleviate stress for students and improve the fairness of the enrollment system for further studies. But reform would be meaningless if teachers themselves do not change their behavior or ways of teaching," Shih said.

Shih also criticized President Chen Shui-bian's remarks in one of his regular televised speeches, A-bian Portrait, in which Chen spoke of his disappointment over educational reform and said even local teachers are skeptical of the direction and results of the policy.

"A mother wrote a letter to me expressing her hope that the nation's teachers could give fewer tests to students," Chen said in the televised speech.

Shih questioned the president's remarks, saying, "Has it ever occurred to President Chen why these teachers would give so many tests to students?

"Are the tests really intended to enhance students' learning, or are the teachers actually the ones who create the pressure?" Shih said.

Shih urged rank-and-file teachers to "brain-wash" themselves in a bid to foster creativity in their classroom teaching and abandon the old-fashioned hackneyed ways of teaching in the past.

His friends teasingly referred to Shih's new books as poison to his own sales, saying the books are distant from public interests.

"Shih shouldn't have sold these books, he should be giving them away," said Sung Ta-wei (孫大偉), an advertising executive.

"Many of the concepts addressed in the books are generally too heavy for the interests of readers," Sung said.

But Sung recognized Shih's pioneering spirit in furthering education reform.

"Shih is considered a bad guy among my friends. He is a daredevil who challenges everything that he sees wrong. But we admire his courage to speak his mind," Sung said.

"He knows that if education reform does not continue, our education system will ultimately hit a dead-end," Sung said.

Hao Kuang-tsai (郝廣才), writer and editor in chief of Taiwan's Grimm Culture publishing company, called Shih a "remarkable forerunner" of education reform over the past few decades.

"He is always offering new thoughts that are ahead of our time. He is the kind of figure who is indispensable in movements for social improvement," Hao said.

Shih, 55, earned a master's degree in mathematics from the Ohio State University and a doctoral degree in mathematics from National Taiwan University. He is currently a professor in the NTU's departments of mathematics and atmospheric sciences.