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Legislators pan
decision to accredit more PRC colleges
By Chen Yi-ching, Lee Yu-hsin and Stacy Hsu / Staff reporters,
with staff writer
Opposition lawmakers and academics on Tuesday voiced concerns over the Ministry
of Education’s decision to increase the number of People’s Republic of China (PRC)
universities accredited in Taiwan, saying the move underscored China’s effort to
encroach on the nation through cultural and educational means.
The ministry announced the new plan at about 6pm on Tuesday, several hours
before the University Entrance Committee for Mainland Chinese Students was
scheduled to release yesterday morning postgraduate and doctoral admission
brochures for Chinese students hoping to study in Taiwan in the coming academic
year.
Under the new plan, the number of Chinese universities accredited in Taiwan will
be expanded from the current 41 institutions, most of which are included in
China’s “Project 985,” to 111 schools covered by China’s “Project 211.” Chinese
students who entered the additional 70 schools after Sept. 3, 2010, would
qualify to study in Taiwan.
“Project 985” is an educational scheme announced in 1998 by then-Chinese
president Jiang Zemin (江澤民) that aims to facilitate the development of selected
Chinese colleges, while “Project 211” was initiated in 1995 to strengthen about
100 colleges.
The new plan will exclude Chinese universities specializing in military,
medicine and public security and will retain a restriction that allows only
students who hold a household registration in China’s six coastal provinces —
including Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong — to pursue
education in Taiwan.
It will also adhere to the “three limits, six noes” (三限六不) policy imposed on
Chinese students studying in Taiwan to protect local students’ educational and
job opportunities.
Under the “three limits, six noes” policy, acceptance is limited to Chinese
students from prestigious Chinese schools, the number of Chinese students is
restricted to 0.1 percent of total domestic student recruitment and Chinese
students are barred from courses in pharmacy, Chinese and Western medicine,
high-tech fields and national security.
The “six noes” refer to no preferential grading on entrance exams, no effect on
student enrollment opportunities for Taiwanese students, no scholarships, no
off-campus work and no taking of tests for Taiwanese professional certificates
or civil servant examinations.
Deputy Minister of Education Huang Pi-twan (黃碧端) lauded the new plan, saying it
would attract more outstanding Chinese students and help address issues
regarding the educational rights of Chinese spouses of Taiwanese or children of
China-based Taiwanese businesspeople.
However, the new policy prompted criticism from opposition lawmakers and
academics, as well as concerns about China’s growing incursion into Taiwan.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the timing of
the announcement of the new plan showed Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling
(蔣偉寧) was attempting to evade legislative scrutiny.
“Chiang’s move to announce the new policy, along with another one late last
month that allows Chinese students to enroll at two-year colleges, prior to
lawmakers’ interpellations at meetings of the legislature’s Education and
Culture Committee indicates that the minister is purposely shunning legislative
scrutiny,” Lin said.
Saying that cross-strait exchanges should be conducted without jeopardizing the
interests and rights of Taiwanese, Lin called on the ministry to make public all
information pertaining to the new policy and deliver a report to the Education
and Culture Committee.
“If anything about the policy risks putting Taiwanese students’ rights at stake,
I will never be finished with the ministry,” Lin said.
Shih Cheng-feng (施正鋒), a political commentator from National Tunghua University,
said China’s encroachment on the nation was like carbon monoxide poisoning, both
of which occurred without people knowing.
“Because the concerted effort between President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九)
administration and China [to bring Taiwan into its fold] by military threats and
economic benefits was to no avail, they will most likely seek to reach their
objective this time via cultural and educational [exchanges],” Shih said.
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