This year's college admissions process has entered the final stage, during which students list their preferences for schools and departments. The greatest bone of contention in recent arguments over the diversified college admissions process is whether it is fair. Advocates for reform insist their proposals are the best, but the success of any reform will require a consensus. The Joint College Entrance Exam (JCEE) has been abolished and a variety of additional channels for gaining entrance to college have been created.
Scholars, experts, teachers and parents have each set out their eminently sensible viewpoints, while the Ministry of Education vacillates under a variety of pressures and students are left not knowing what to do. More discussion may help to clarify matters, however, so I would also like to contribute a few ideas regarding the future competitiveness of Taiwanese education.
Deregulation: The ministry euphemistically says it wants colleges to be autonomous and to strive for excellence, but behind the scenes it still influences schools through financing.
This has created a situation in which there are only very minor differences between public and private institutions.
Where is the diversity? If we want to further liberalize and diversify education, the goal of educational reform must take on a social aspect based on a variety of values.
We also have to find ways to let more people develop their potential, let colleges compete, force them to review their own status and provide the best methods for attracting students. If not, colleges will be too similar to each other, and only differ in their ranking. How would we then ensure that students skilled in a wide range of disciplines enjoy maximum scope for development?
As for attracting new students, the ministry should only lay down general guidelines. The details should be provided by colleges.
If we confuse cause and effect and go about increasing diversification with minor technical means, regulating the number of preferences a senior high school student may state, stipulating sign-up fees for each preference and the ratio of students accepted through admissions tests, how will Taiwanese education possibly meet international standards?
Fairness: The reason why the educational system has always met with public approval is that it provides the best mechanism for social mobility.
We've all seen children of tenant farmers grow up to take prominent positions in society.
This is the most important function of education. Regardless of whether we use the JCEE or the diversified admissions process, therefore, as long as the system provides equal educational opportunities and doesn't frustrate disadvantaged students or families, I am confident that it will enjoy public support.
Of course, critics have repeatedly raised doubts about the fairness of the diversified admissions process.
They cite examples such as the scandal surrounding the International Biology Olympiad, the imposition of disguised fees to support college endowment funds making education more expensive, and student exhaustion caused by the pressure to acquire too many skills.
In all cases, the result is that it is easier for those with more social and economic resources to distinguish themselves.
At the same time, most children from poor and underprivileged families will be deprived of certain opportunities in their education.
To rectify this unfairness, educational authorities must establish scholarships to enable students to enroll in the schools and departments best suited to them without being influenced by financial considerations.
In this way, students can develop their potential and, in the future, be of use to society.
Education is an important opportunity in life. To give every student who desires an education the opportunity to receive one, the selection system used by institutions of higher learning must be more fair, open and transparent.
Participation: Taiwan has only recently broken free of authoritarian rule. All aspects of political and social life are still seeking an equilibrium.
At this crucial moment, the pace of educational reform mustn't falter because of a few technical difficulties. As far as the fairness of selection based on applications and recommendations is concerned, parents and organizations that care about education should pay close attention to how the standards for interviews and application reviews are set.
If Taiwan wants to link up with the rest of the world, we must have our own systemic standards to facilitate comparisons with other countries. This is as true of education as it is with the economy.
Finally, the diversified admissions process does not completely cast aside the old "written test" that everyone agrees is the fairest.
An interview and application review are conducted in addition to a written test. This is a highly complex system.
How to implement it in Taiwan is a question that must be addressed by all segments of society -- including parents, teachers, school administrators and anyone else with a stake in education.
Educational authorities should regularly sponsor seminars and hearings to draft a plan for reviewing applications and conducting interviews that is appropriate for Taiwan and maintains fairness.
I certainly agree with anyone who says there are drawbacks to the diversified admissions process, but I could never agree with certain opposition legislators who call for abandoning it and returning to the JCEE.
Lin Heng-li is deputy chief executive of the Central Taiwan Society.
Translated by Perry Svensson and Ethan Harkness
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