The legislature is currently on the third reading of a bill allowing Chinese students to study in Taiwan. It is a contentious issue and one that has led to blows being traded in the legislature, but a good number of university directors have publicly declared their support nonetheless. This is actually one of the most interesting developments in years in higher education in Taiwan. Many of the top universities here, such as National Taiwan University and National Chengchi University, can’t wait to get their hands on top-flight students from China, who would be a boost for our universities.
Over the last few years, I have met quite a few Chinese exchange students and in conversations with them I have tried to gauge who exactly would be interested in studying over here when we finally open our doors. I discovered that, for one reason or another, we shouldn’t expect top students to be falling over themselves to get into Taiwan
First, Taiwanese universities do not enjoy a high profile abroad, at least not at the moment. Second, it is my understanding that Chinese students would actually be charged rather high tuition fees by the national universities, even higher than what private universities charge local Taiwanese students. Finally, Chinese students will not be allowed to remain in Taiwan once they have graduated, so a Taiwanese certificate is not going to help their job prospects over here. If anyone is going to come over it is going to be graduates interested in post-graduate courses.
Private universities, as well as technical and vocational colleges, properly prepared, are likely to be in a good position to attract Chinese post-grads. Technical and vocational colleges in China produce more than 1 million graduates every year, but they often run into a wall if they want to continue their studies within the same institution after graduating. These students face a bottleneck with demanding tests for transfer credits coupled with low acceptance rates (only 5 percent of applicants for technical colleges are successful annually), especially with that country’s 100 or so high-level “Project 985” or “Project 211” institutions, which do not offer further education options. Consequently, one would expect quite a few graduates from these schools to be interested in furthering their studies in Taiwan, seeking Taiwanese qualifications or specific skills.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle, however, is the major differences between the respective higher education systems in China and Taiwan. The majority of Chinese students and their parents know little about the higher education system in Taiwan and Chinese qualifications are presently not recognized over here. How are we going to recognize Chinese high school and college qualifications? Would it be possible to use the results of China’s own university entrance examinations, or their high school general examinations, as a basis for application to universities here?
If so, then we need to look into how to regulate this. We need to find a way to increase awareness of higher education in Taiwan among Chinese high school, university and vocational college students. One idea would be to start with a kind of pilot scheme within a limited area in China, such as Fujian or Guangdong Province, or even give priority to sister schools there and do a test run. This would enable us to accumulate a comprehensive database about how things are done in China and understand more about the certification issued. This awareness-building amongst Chinese students and even Chinese exchange students already here in Taiwan should be a precursor to opening the floodgates.
Finally, I would recommend that all departments within the government, and not just the Ministry of Education, make sure they are prepared for this influx. We must have all the necessary measures in place well in advance of when Chinese students actually arrive. It’s all about macro-management and incremental progress. If all goes according to plan, allowing Chinese students to study over here will allow for a cross-pollination of talents and ideas from either side of the Taiwan Strait that can only be good for all.
Chuing Prudence Chou is a professor in the department of education at National Chengchi University.
TRANSLATED BY PAUL COOPER
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