The Ministry of Education (MOE) will consider appealing a ruling handed down by the Taipei High Administrative Court that Taiwan must accredit university diplomas issued in China, Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng (杜正勝) said yesterday.
Tu said his ministry will decide whether to appeal after receiving the verdict on an accreditation dispute involving a Chinese woman married to a Taiwanese man who has encountered difficulties in pursuit of higher education and jobs in Taiwan because the nation does not accredit college or university diplomas earned in China.
The woman, surnamed Zheng, a graduate of Jilin University of Technology, filed a suit against the MOE last year complaining that she has had difficulty finding jobs and seeking higher education in Taiwan due to the government's refusal to recognize China's university diplomas.
The Taipei High Administrative Court reached a verdict on Thursday that the MOE must recognize an application filed by Zheng for accreditation of Chinese university diplomas on the grounds that national policies should not take precedence over the law.
Noting that the accreditation measures on 73 higher-education institutes in China promulgated in 1997 still remain effective in Taiwan, judges from the Taipei High Administrative Court said the MOE must acknowledge and recognize Zheng's diploma as long as she can produce relevant documents, as Jilin University of Technology is one of 73 Chinese institutes that are currently recognized by the MOE.
The court said the ministry can file an appeal with the Supreme Administrative Court.
Tu faces an awkward situation as Taiwan's refusal to accredit China's university diplomas remains a policy of the Democratic Progressive Party administration.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (
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