Diplomas from Chinese medical schools will not be recognized retroactively in Taiwan once a diploma accreditation system is put in place, the Ministry of Education said on Saturday.
Recognizing medical diplomas issued in China is a particularly sensitive issue because the government has banned Taiwanese from getting medical diplomas there.
Official Chinese statistics, however, show that 14,907 Taiwanese enrolled in Chinese colleges between 1985 and 2007, with one-third of them majoring in medicine.
As for diplomas in other fields, the ministry said the issue was politically charged and that it was still consulting with academics and experts and seeking public opinion on whether such diplomas could be recognized in the future.
PUBLIC CONCERN
The issue of whether Chinese diplomas could be recognized retroactively was one of the issues that aroused the most concern in 20 public hearings the ministry held nationwide between Dec. 10 and Dec. 23 to gauge public reaction to a plan to allow local colleges to admit Chinese students.
On the question of deciding which Chinese colleges would be accredited by Taiwan under the new system, the ministry said only the 38 colleges that China has vowed to improve to a world-class level in a 1998 project would be on the list initially.
There would be a few exceptions, however, the ministry said.
The People’s Liberation Army’s National University of Defense Technology would be excluded from the list, while Beijing Sport University, the Central Conservatory of Music and China Central Academy of Fine Arts would be included, the ministry said.
COMPETITION FOR JOBS
Many people attending the ministry’s hearings last month expressed concern that Chinese students studying in Taiwan would compete with local students for part-time jobs and may stay and work in Taiwan after graduation.
The ministry said, however, that such problems could be easily resolved.
At present, the law does not allow Chinese students to work while studying in this country either part time or full time, and those who flout the rules would be ordered to leave the country or expelled, the ministry said.
Once Chinese students finished their studies they must return home and will not be allowed to stay in Taiwan to work or take civil servant or professional exams, the statement said.
The ministry promised to set up standard operating procedures and other complementary measures to prevent Chinese students from staying longer than needed or seeking jobs.
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