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Education ministry launches character-building plan

President Ma Ying-jeou rides on “Taiwan’s train of moral character” with two children yesterday at an event at the Taipei Railway Station promoting a project by the Ministry of Education to cultivate the nation’s moral character, quality and taste. PHOTO: CNA

The Ministry of Education yesterday launched a movement to cultivate the nation’s character.

“Taiwanese society is generally considered a society replete with strong soft power, as we are a society characterized by culture and quality,” Minister of Education Cheng Jei-cheng (鄭瑞城) told a press conference at the Taipei Railway Station.

“However, we still see many bullies, drug problems and physical clashes between teachers and students at schools. It seems that we don’t have character anymore,” Cheng said.

Cheng said Taiwanese should have the determination to improve themselves and help each other build character.

“As Plato said in his The Republic, education is the only thing that matters in a nation. Education to help students build character may be what the nation needs most at the moment,” Cheng said.

The ministry selected Cardinal Paul Shan (單國璽), Cloud Gate artistic director Lin Hwai-min (林懷民), taekwondo heroine Su Li-wen (蘇麗文), composer Fang Wen-shan (方文山) and singer Wang Lee-hom (王力宏) as model characters during a conference presided over by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

Ma said he hoped the movement would lead to a “new lifestyle” in the nation.

The ministry plans to build ­students’ character by giving them more opportunities to appreciate art, to read and to help them understand the need to care about the environment.

A list of “core values” that principals and school presidents nationwide presented to the ministry last month showed that school administrators hoped students would have more respect for their parents and teachers and learn to take responsibility for their own actions.
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