Lawmakers and parents yesterday urged the Ministry of Education to officially recognize as valid in Taiwan the degrees earned abroad at two-year community colleges and vocational schools.
"When our students study abroad, we [our government] should assess the merit of foreign educational systems by their standards, not ours. We cannot impose our own local criteria on foreign countries," said legislator Chen Shei-saint (
"It does not make sense to deny the validity of two-year community colleges overseas just because we don't have the equivalent system in Taiwan," Chen said.
According to recent media reports, many Taiwanese students studying in two-year community colleges or vocational schools overseas only find out after they have returned to Taiwan that the education ministry does not acknowledge the degrees awarded by these institutions.
The existing regulations have also had a negative impact on male students who wish to defer their military service.
The current Military Service Law (兵役法), which came into effect on June 25, 1998, states that if an 18-year-old man leaves the country to study overseas before he begins his mandatory military service, he must be enrolled in an institute of higher education before the end of the year in which he turns 19.
The catch, according to parents, is the stipulation that students must be enrolled in a program that awards bachelors, masters or doctorate degrees.
These regulations were strongly challenged by those attending yesterday's meeting.
"Why is it that two-year community colleges or vocational programs are excluded according to this law? Besides, why must young men start their university education by the last day of the year they turn 19?" said one parent.
"In Canada, foreign students need to be equipped with proficient English skills before they can study at a university. Many foreign students, therefore, are required to take English language courses before being admitted to the college. These students may be over 19 years old after they complete their language courses," said an official from the Canadian education ministry.
Sandy Chen (
Director of the Parents Society of Overseas Students (中華民國留學生家長協進會), David Shu (徐牧民) said that the ministry of education was setting a bad example for the public by clearly showing that it believed the main reason for getting an education was to be able to pass exams.
"Taiwanese should move away from this outdated concept. The ministry is only focused on what it considers to be some sort of `pure academics' at the expense of technical training. Being a productive member of society does not mean you have to have a PhD," said Shu.
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