A Chinese university policy apparently aimed at luring Taiwanese students will have minimal effect because the nation only recognizes 151 out of 2,000 Chinese universities, the Ministry of Education said yesterday.
Starting in October, Comprehensive Assessment Program scores that would be accepted on applications by Taiwanese students at Chinese universities are to be lowered from the second category, or scores in the 75th percentile, to the third category, or scores in the 50th percentile.
The policy means that more than half of Taiwanese high-school students could apply for admission at Chinese universities, Department of Higher Education Deputy Director-General Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said.
The policy is not uncommon, but there will not likely be a lot of students applying at Chinese universities in the short term, Chu said.
The question is how Taiwanese universities will maintain their competitive edge compared with Chinese universities, he said.
The ministry wants to promote more student-centered teaching methods at higher-education facilities, while seeking to increase education-related innovations and research abilities, Chu said.
Chu said that because the nation only recognizes diplomas from 151 universities in China, unless a student does not intend to return to Taiwan to work, studying in China presents some risks regarding vocational opportunities.
After amendments to the University Act (大學法), the Junior College Act (專科學校法) and the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) in 2010, the number of Chinese students in Taiwan is 9,300, while there are 10,000 Taiwanese studying in China, Chu said.
The numbers from each side have remained balanced, with about 1,200 Chinese students arriving each year, Chu said.
The government will not implement Chinese-style policies and will leave it up to each student to decide if they want to enrol at a university in China, Chu said.
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