Accusing the Ministry of Education of cronyism, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday called on the ministry to uphold university autonomy and ratify the election of National Taiwan University (NTU) president-elect Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔).
Kuan was elected the university’s president on Jan. 5 and was to assume office on Feb. 1, but the ministry deferred ratification, citing three points of contention: Kuan allegedly withheld from the committee that he was then an independent member of Taiwan Mobile’s board of directors; alleged problems with the fairness of the election committee’s procedures; and questions about the legality of Kuan’s teaching position at Xiamen University.
KMT Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) said it was ironic that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which often claims that university autonomy prevents Chinese poaching of senior Taiwanese academics, is trying to block a legally elected university president from taking office.
Administrative efficiency under the DPP administration is best seen in the persecution of others, Lee said, adding that the ministry is willfully ignoring its job to oversee professional education and the development of higher education in the nation in favor of being a government hit man.
Multiple university affairs conferences have clearly backed Kuan’s election, Lee said, adding that the ministry should ratify his election and uphold university autonomy.
KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said that a planned ministry task force had no legal basis under the University Act (大學法).
If established, the legally baseless task force would be in a position to counsel the ministry on decisions regarding the issue, Ko said, adding that such actions would be tantamount to the government trampling on the university’s autonomy.
Ministry Department of Personnel Director Chen Kun-yuan (陳焜元) said that a cross-agency task force on Kuan’s election was necessary, as the matter has exceeded the ministry’s jurisdiction.
In addition to information indicating that Kuan continues to teach at Xiamen University, Kuan has visited China in an official capacity while working for the government, Chen said.
The department has asked the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of the Interior to assist in an assessment of the issue, Chen added.
The Ministry of Education is obligated to oversee — within reason and the law — university president elections, despite university autonomy, as stipulated by the act, Chen said.
There can be no gray area in terms of legality of the NTU president, which is a position that oversees great public interest and presides over billions of New Taiwan dollars in subsidies and grants per year, Chen said.
Should it be determined that Kuan contravened 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) or the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), his election would be returned to the NTU election committee, Chen said.
In such a scenario, Kuan’s eligibility to lead the university must be reconsidered, as it remains unclear whether society would accept an NTU president with a history of severe legal breaches, Chen said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS