A few days ago, at an occasion inappropriate for making a significant policy announcement, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced that it will extend the junior-high school Basic Competency Tests to the elementary school level. Both the media and the public have, almost with one voice, objected to the decision over the past few days. I wonder if a backlash would wake up education authorities.
Originally, basic competency tests were designed to provide regular checks on educational policy, in order to monitor its strengths and weaknesses. The primary goal of the tests was to examine whether students possess the most basic academic competency. Unfortunately, when the tests were first adopted in Taiwan years ago, they were taken as the only criterion for senior-high school entry. No wonder people always link the tests to the pressure of the joint-entrance examinations.
Public criticism of education reforms have reflected not only their possible misunderstanding of reform policy but also the flawed manner in which the MOE has introduced these policies. Today's "diversified courses" have forced students with relatively better-off backgrounds to learn more, making it even harder for students with poorer backgrounds to catch up with them. The much criticized Nine-Year Coherent Educational Program and the Diversified Enrollment Scheme are cases in point. Perhaps the problems are a result of insufficient complementary preparation -- in addition to flawed implementation. The MOE seems to respond to such criticism simply by insisting on the validity of its policies without offering solutions to the problems that could result from them. The MOE just made its shock announcement without even offering an explanation. As a result, anxiety has spread over the past few days.
Any efficient administrative organization should try to understand the social impact of each policy before it's made official. No matter how good a policy is, it's still necessary to estimate the degree of acceptance with which society will greet it, as well as possible difficulties and flaws. From the junior-high Basic Competency Tests to the Nine-Year Coherent Educational Program and the Diversified Enrollment Scheme, we can see that the MOE has both insufficiently understood and insufficiently publicized its reforms. It failed to predict the possible consequences of the implementation of its policies. It usually ends up rectifying its mistakes in a reactive manner in the face of widespread criticism.
The Basic Competency Tests for elementary students are complementary to some of today's important education reform measures. Why, then, did the MOE not publicize or explain this when launching the tests for junior highs or the Nine-Year Coherent Educational Program? Why did it fail to give a convincing explanation on the basis of reviews of the existing tests for junior highs?
The MOE should hold a press conference to explain the policy at an appropriate time, explaining the complementarity between the new tests and other reform plans, so that the public gains a better understanding of the policy.
The MOE's cack-handed announcement of the new policy has caused confusion. The big march by local teachers on Sept. 28 was a protest against the MOE's ignorance. No democratic society should launch a major policy with a sudden announcement like this. Have those in charge considered the possible consequences? Have they fully explained the policy or developed backup plans? Let us hope that the MOE will quickly come up with solutions to relieve the current anxiety.
Hung Li-yu is a professor in the department of special education at National Taiwan Normal University.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS