A group of National Chengchi University (NCCU) students yesterday called on students across the nation to protest against school regulations requiring foreign-language proficiency exams.
The Supreme Administrative Court last month ruled that requiring students to take proficiency exams before they may attend remedial courses exceeds the parameters of university autonomy.
However, while NCCU in January abolished the foreign-language proficiency requirement, more than 100 universities in Taiwan still enforce such a requirement, said plaintiff Lai Yi-ling (賴怡伶), a graduate of the university.
Photo: Lin Hsiao-yun, Taipei Times
Student Rights Association leader Hsu Jen-yu (許人友) told a news conference that the association has launched an “abolish zero-credit courses” movement.
Universities should not offer fake courses, nor should they mandate arbitrary graduation standards, NCCU student council leader Chen Po-han (陳柏翰) said, adding that universities should return to offering regular courses to better enhance students’ English-language abilities.
“It is illogical to impose a rule that students may not attend remedial courses unless they have failed an exam,” Lai said.
In 2016, Lai sued NCCU for refusing to issue her diploma because she had not provided a language proficiency test score.
The court last month ruled in favor of NCCU, but said that university regulations demanding that students take foreign-language proficiency exams before they can attend remedial courses exceeds the parameters of university autonomy.
“Universities are given autonomy so they would be able to offer better education,” said lawyer Chen Yi-tsung (陳易聰), who is representing Lai pro bono.
Current regulations “do not fit the goal of education,” Chen Yi-tsung added.
While the ruling seemed to be in the university’s favor, it has nonetheless pointed out the logical fallacy behind language proficiency tests, so it actually favors students, he said.
Hopefully, the majority of universities would observe the court ruling and return to the essential tenets of education, Lai said.
NCCU Department of Sociology director Huang Hou-ming (黃厚銘) said that the tests, originally intended to promote globalization, have become vapid and funnel students toward either British or American English.
While the case was an individual incident, the ruling says that university autonomy must remain rational, NCCU Department of Law associate professor Chen Chih-hui (陳志暉) said.
Determining student capabilities is a university’s task, and ensuring that students meet the standard is the true function and goal of universities, and should not be contracted to outside companies, Chen Chih-hui said.
NCCU Department of Radio and Television professor Kuo Li-hsin (郭力昕) said that he harbors no ill will toward the English language — having studied in the US and the UK for his master’s and doctoral degrees — but examinations do not allow students to become more fluent.
Exams instead make English a superior language to which people should aspire, a common reaction in post-colonial nations, Kuo said.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
Chinese embassy staffers attempted to interrupt an award ceremony of an international tea competition in France when the organizer introduced Taiwan and displayed the Republic of China flag, a Taiwanese tea farmer said in an interview published today. Hsieh Chung-lin (謝忠霖), chief executive of Juxin Tea Factory from Taichung's Lishan (梨山) area, on Dec. 2 attended the Teas of the World International Contest held at the Peruvian embassy in Paris. Hsieh was awarded a special prize for his Huagang Snow Source Tea by the nonprofit Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA). During the ceremony, two Chinese embassy staffers in attendance
RSS