Taiwanese education on July 13, 2004

A natural approach to learning

Historian Tu Cheng-sheng became the minister of education in May, but he has already faced criticism from lawmakers who oppose his new curriculum ideas. Taipei Times staff writer Jewel Huang interviewed Tu about his ministry's agenda for change

By Jewel Huang
STAFF REPORTER
 

Taipei Times: In your decade of advocating reforms in historical education, your "concentric circle theory" -- which encourages students to learn the nation's history from the things most familiar to them -- has sparked controversy. As the nation's top educational official, how are you reforming historical education and rewriting history textbooks to represent local-oriented and diverse historical perspectives?

Tu Cheng-sheng: I've been thinking that it is the most natural thing for a person to know about the past of the land where he or she lives. In fact, in most countries no controversy would arise from educating children about the country's land, culture and history. That we face such a dispute in Taiwan reveals how unusual a country Taiwan is.

Now that I'm minister of education, I will carry out policies that are considered the most natural and will try to normalize our educational system. I know I'm doing something that can't be too natural in pedagogy, but I don't care about controversies. Our educational system needs to teach our children and teenagers to recognize the history and culture of their land.

That is to say, "elements of Taiwan" play an important part in the development of children's personality and knowledge. These can be conveyed through coursework in the humanities and social sciences, including the subjects of art, language, literature, history, geography and civics. All of these subjects will contain elements of Taiwan.

We will write a new curriculum that clearly indicates how the local elements will be compiled into the nine-year educational program. The ministry will work out the practical details of this curriculum soon.

TT: When will this new course outline be implemented? Former minister of education Huang Jong-tsun has been taking a noncommittal attitude about this issue, and some pan-blue legislators have strongly reacted against such changes. Do you have a definite timeline for making a new history curriculum?

Tu: I hope that we can come up with the new course outline before December. The ministry has organized a special committee to develop this curriculum, and I will also urge the Department of Secondary Education to speed up the project's components for history, geography, literature and language classes that will be affected by the reforms.

But I would like to stress that this does not mean we only need to know about Taiwan. Simultaneously, we have to educate our students about China, Asia and the whole world with new and more objective perspectives.

TT: How do you react to the term de-Sinicization? What kind of mindset and theoretical implications do you think this term conveys? If this controversy hinders the course reform, what would you do to dispel some people's doubts about so-called localization?

Tu: For our new educational plans, there is no focus on de-Sinicization. What we plan is to enable our students to re-know China and the places where they are living. In fact, de-Sinicization is a political term created by people who were afraid that the Chinese parts of the curriculum would be reduced as the Taiwan elements increased in education.

Diverse approaches

As a matter of fact, China is a country with complicated ethnic groups, diverse geographical features and extensive territory. Each place in China is currently looking for its own characteristics.

However, it was the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime that simplified China's image and characteristics after it came to Taiwan in 1949. This made the people of Taiwan misunderstand China as a monolithic bloc and unchangeable concept. The education implemented by the KMT for the past 50 years has divorced our understanding of China from reality. This caused the situation that some people strongly oppose when we try to correct the disproportionate part this curriculum plays in the educational system.

In my opinion, Taiwan needs to take a more objective and rational attitude in order to understand China afresh. I have to stress that we can neither neglect China's existence nor be ignorant of China. We have to know China more profoundly, without involving our likes or dislikes or any judgmental values. It is important to look at China's history and culture from more diverse angles.

TT: Two weeks ago, Typhoon Mindulle disrupted the annual Joint College Entrance Examination (JCEE). The vacillating attitude of the College Entrance Examination Center and the education ministry about whether to put off the examination disturbed some students and sparked criticism. What kind of problems do you think this incident exposed, and how will the ministry deal with a similar situation in the future?

Tu: Judging from this incident, I think the ministry needs to enhance its role in facilitating communication between different organizations. In fact, the Joint Board of the College Recruitment Commission was the organization empowered to make the decision on the JCEE. The College Entrance Examination Center was the executive organization, and the ministry played the role of a supervisor. However, the incident showed that the College Recruitment Commission failed to function when it faced an emergency. I think only when governmental departments have better and more efficient communication with each other could we manage emergencies properly.

Besides, I think the three organizations also learned a good lesson about how to deal with a regional natural disaster when a national examination takes place, which is a problem that we rarely faced before.

TT: But the examination was held as scheduled. Was this because holding a make-up exam was less complicated than postponing the national examination?

Tu: Not really. Actually, we didn't discuss much about the make-up examination when we decided to hold the exam as scheduled at that time. But I believe that if we had decided to put off the exam, some people would also strongly oppose that decision.

I think the fundamental problem is how to downsize the scale of the national entrance examination. If we want significant educational reform, how to change the JCEE is the problem that we need to think about.

better universities

TT: Speaking of the educational reform, Academia Sinica's president Lee Yuan-tseh said recently that increasing the number of "good universities" and their recruitment is the fundamental way to relieve the keen competition of the college entrance exam. Lee also suggested that only a few universities share the NT$50 billion budget for higher education. What do you think about his suggestion?

Tu: In fact, there is a definite goal for the NT$50 billion for higher education, which is to upgrade some top-notch universities in the country to among the world's best universities in five years. Under such limitations, it's true that only a few schools can be budgeted for. But we will implement the project on its original basis, which is to support some potentially good universities to reach excellence. And the ministry will continue to do its best to allocate more money to advance our higher education.

I agree with Lee that the so-called good universities should recruit more students. If we could expand the student capacity of good universities, then a NT$50 billion budget can be allocated for a more efficient and satisfying outcome.

TT: You were a historian and the director of the National Palace Museum, which are more academic than administrative roles. The public has witnessed several occasions upon which you quarrelled with lawmakers because of different opinions. How do you adjust yourself from a role that allows more freedom and critical remarks to a leadership role that needs compromise and good communication?

Tu: I know it [to be education minister] is a tough task and it requires a lot of compromise and coordination. I heard that the academic circle generally thinks it won't be easy to straighten out the current educational problems. But what I think is that since the country needs me, I am willing to contribute my ability to the nation's educational system. Personal fame or fortune does not matter to me at all. I will hold on to my ideals and viewpoints, but will also accept suggestions from all circles. I've adjusted myself to be more flexible now that I have more important things to accomplish.

Moreover, my greatest asset is that I don't care much about praise or blame, yet this doesn't mean that I would be wayward. For the overall situation and the nation's education, I would restrain my personality as much as possible and I am willing to endure some misunderstandings and criticisms.

TT: In your book Going through the Critical Decade: 1990-2000, you precisely predicted what challenges Taiwan would face in the political, cultural, social and educational realms. What will the new challenges be in the next decade, and what can education do to address them?

Tu: Domestically, I think the most critical challenge that Taiwan faces is how to create agreement. The opinions about the nation's political direction and unbalanced social justice need to find balance and harmony.

a unified voice

Internationally, it is high time for Taiwan to figure out what its identification as a member of the international community is. China has boycotted Taiwan's participation in international organizations for a long time. Although Taiwan's economic performance has been impressive, we are quite alienated from formal international organizations. I think Taiwan has a responsibility to participate in international society since we are a rich and democratic country.

However, a democratic country is supposed to show its unanimity when facing external challenges. People in Taiwan should not be divided into pan-green or pan-blue camps any longer.

I think it is necessary for our educational system to enhance the development of this world view and to apply it to life, and I think cultural and historical education will be the keys to this effort.

Merit not a matter of credentials for new top educator

By Jewel Huang
STAFF REPORTER
 

Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng, who suggested turning national maps sideways to look at the world from the angle of Taiwan, has become one of the most impressive officials to emerge from the Cabinet reorganization in May.

The new Taiwan-centered map exasperated some legislators who grew up under the educational system dominated by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime.

People First Party (PFP) Legislator Diane Lee and her brother, PFP Legislator Lee Ching-hua insulted Tu during an interpellation session in the Legislative Yuan, calling him "Mr. Tu" rather than "Minister Tu" and saying he was not ideologically qualified to be the minister of education, as well as calling him an activist for Taiwan's independence.

Tu, known for his unyielding and straightforward personality, did not succumb to lawmakers' denunciations. On the contrary, he stressed that the map with the alternative viewpoint and his "concentric circle theory" simply suggest to students the fact that Taiwan is an oceanic nation and that they should love their land starting with what's closest to their heart.

"It can't be too natural to see the world based on Taiwan, and this is not an ideology," Tu said.

"I believe those people who hold obsolete perspectives will awake sooner or later," Tu said. "After all, Taiwan's society will tolerate them and wait patiently for them to be awakened."

The son of a Taoist priest who grew up in a small fishing village in Kaohsiung County, Tu says education is important to disadvantaged children. People can benefit from good teachers throughout their lifetimes, for the solid ground of education is the key to a successful life, Tu has said.

To many people's surprise, Tu, 60, is the first minister of education who did not earn a doctoral degree. Nonetheless, Tu's erudition and outstanding academic performance have gained wide approval in academic circles. As a historian dedicated to the study of ancient Chinese history for more than 30 years, Tu was elected as an honorable academician of Academia Sinica in 1992. Before leading the Ministry of Education, Tu served as the director of the National Palace Museum from 2000 until early this year and as the director of the Institute of History and Philology at Academia Sinica from 1995 to 2000.

"It is a great improvement in our educational system that a person without a doctorate is able to become the education minister," Tu told the Taipei Times. "I hope my case can be an example to break the diploma myth that exists in our parents' or employers' minds.

"I hope people can realize it is ability that counts the most."

Probe KMT crimes: Lee

UNSOLVED CASES: The former president said crimes committed by the party he once led should be in the terms of reference for the probe into the shooting of the president
By Chang Yun-ping
STAFF REPORTER
 

Any commission investigating the March 19 shooting of President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu should also focus on unsolved crimes of persecution committed during Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rule, former president Lee Teng-hui was quoted as saying yesterday.

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Cheng Chen-lung yesterday quoted Lee as saying that unsolved homicides, such as the murder of former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Lin Yi-hsiung's family, the apparent murder of professor Chen Wen-cheng and numerous killings during the Feb. 28 Incident in 1947 should also be investigated, rather than solely examining the election-eve assassination attempt on Chen Shui-bian and Lu.

"All these unsolved homicide cases happened during the KMT era and should be probed and treated in a manner identical to that for the March 19 shooting. Each of these older cases should be investigated as part of a special investigative commission to establish who should be held responsible and who should apologize," Cheng quoted Lee as saying. "Only in this way can we bring about a truly harmonious and united Taiwan. Otherwise, people might ask why the shooting of President Chen and Vice President Lu is being investigated in isolation, especially given that there is not yet any concrete evidence showing who attempted to assassinate them."

The legal status of the special investigative commission probing the March 19 assassination attempt is still unclear. The pan-blue camp is seeking to push through a draft statute authorizing the commission.

reservations

TSU legislators yesterday expressed reservations over the establishment and functioning of the commission, which they said may come into conflict with the investigative authority of the Control Yuan and the Judicial Yuan.

Cheng yesterday said an investigative commission should work in compliance with constitutional regulations or the TSU would not support its formation.

Cross-party negotiations yesterday reached a consensus to hold an extra legislative sitting on Aug. 12, with the KMT legislative caucus insisting on a review of the statute that would authorize the commission.

TSU Legislator Chen Chien-ming yesterday said the party remained uncommitted on the extra sitting because negotiations had resulted in disagreements on which bills would be debated.

On the formation of the investigative commission, Chen Chien-ming said: "It is almost a private, supervisory organization and therefore its investigation has no legal binding.

"If President Chen insists on doing this, he has to set up separate investigative commissions for other murder cases such as the murder of the Lin family and professor Chen Wen-cheng," he said.

The mythical mainland

I appreciate how you routinely refer to China as China and Taiwan as Taiwan, two separate and distinct countries, and that you do not erroneously refer to China as "mainland China" or "the mainland" -- as if Taiwan was in some way connected to it.

Hawaii has a mainland, it is true: the continental US. But Taiwan does not have a mainland, and your newspaper makes this perfectly clear, unlike the other English newspapers, magazines and wire services in Taipei.

I recently asked a friend of mine in Taipei, a well-educated Taiwanese publishing professional in his 50s, why he still refers to China as "mainland China" or "the mainland" in his daily speech in English -- he does -- and this is what he told me: "I use the term `the mainland' partly because that's what we Taiwanese say in our language -- dalu. When residents of Taiwan go across the Taiwan Strait, they say to each other in Chinese that they are going to dalu, or the 'mainland.' They don't say they are going to China. To the vast majority of the people on this island -- other than a small handful of pro-independence politicians -- the large territory west of Taiwan is the mainland, not a foreign country."

At this point my avuncular, white-haired friend almost lost me, but I held on, waiting for more words of wisdom.

He continued: "Try asking someone here, `Have you ever been to China?' and chances are that the person will stare at you in bewilderment. We never call it China in Mandarin. We always call it the mainland.

"In addition, the many young women from the mainland who married Taiwanese men in recent years are popularly referred to as `dalu xinniang,' or mainland brides. They are not really regarded as foreigners here."

I was beginning to understand his thinking. Then came his final lesson: "Taiwan is historically a part of China. This island is linguistically, culturally and ethnically related to the Chinese mainland. Our Constitution even states that the territory of the Republic of China includes the mainland, Hainan Island, Taiwan Island, and other small offshore islands. And that is why I will always continue to use the terms `the mainland' and `mainland China' in English when I speak to foreigners here. Do you think this is so wrong?"

I do think this is wrong. China is in no way any kind of mainland for Taiwan. China is the mainland for Hainan Island, yes, but not for Taiwan.

David Johnson   Taipei

Political correctness

Whatever nationality you might be, and whatever religious and/or political beliefs you might have, facts are facts.

China's claims to Taiwan are an absolute farce. And, even worse, a contradiction: as a Taiwanese you must have a passport when traveling to China. How grotesque is that?

Do I need identification when going from California to Hawaii or anywhere else within US territory?

I am a native German, but also an American since 1969, while my wife is a native Taiwanese from Changhua County, where we have lived now for five months.

Since our great country, America, wants to be always so politically correct, it's about time that they applied this to Taiwan.

Georg Woodman   Changhua