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EDITORIAL: Education
system needs overhaul
Master baker Wu Pao-chun (§dÄ_¬K) is again in the glare of the media spotlight
after local colleges and universities refused him admission to their executive
management programs because he does not have a college degree or a ¡§class A
technician¡¨ certificate. The National University of Singapore has offered Wu
admission to its program, citing Wu¡¦s bakery expertise.
This highlights the excessive rigidity in Taiwan¡¦s education system, which
discourages innovation and undervalues the importance of fostering talent. The
education system is obviously out of date and ill-equipped to adapt to the
social and industrial changes of a knowledge-based economy. A major overhaul of
the nation¡¦s education system is needed.
Receiving recognition from international bakery circles, Wu won the title of
Bakery Master in the bread category at the Bakery World Cup in Paris in 2010.
His winning lychee bread, inspired by lychee macarons, helped generate NT$200
million (US$6.7 million) in revenue a year for Wu¡¦s bakery. This figure is
stunning, far exceeding the NT$100 million threshold set by the Ministry of
Economic Affairs for small and medium-sized enterprises.
As his bakery business rapidly grew, Wu said he felt the need to strengthen his
management skills, saying his breadmaking skills did not make him a good
corporate manager.
¡§It takes more [skills and knowledge] to manage a company,¡¨ Wu told reporters
last week.
He plans to open a second outlet in Taipei, after his first bakery, in Greater
Kaohsiung, was overwhelmed by consumer demand.
Wu¡¦s case reflects Taiwan¡¦s talent drain, which is a serious headache for local
corporate executives. The inflexibility of the nation¡¦s education system has
prevented Wu from upgrading his skills and his business.
The problem is that the Ministry of Education still keeps a tight grip on
recruitment at colleges and universities. There was no leeway for colleges or
universities to allow Wu to enroll in their Executive Master of Business
Administration (EMBA) programs, even though they knew it would be the right
thing to do. The schools know that granting admission to students like Wu would
bring them higher-caliber students and prestigious alumni, but regulations
disallow it.
The Singaporean government is much smarter than Taiwan¡¦s, because it knows that
talent is the key factor supporting the city-state¡¦s economy and enhancing its
competitiveness. The Singaporean government allows colleges and universities to
recruit talent by interviewing applicants, rather than regarding a degree as the
be-all and end-all.
President Ma Ying-jeou (°¨^¤E) on Friday requested the Ministry of Education amend
regulations to loosen the rules for enrolling students in EMBA programs, making
such advanced management courses available to more businesspeople.
However, Ma¡¦s move was not well-received by the public. There was much debate as
to whether loosening the rules was unfair to people who study hard to gain
admission to such programs. It was an illustration of how much of the public
still believes studying at school and getting a good degree is the only proper
avenue to success.
Unemployment among college and university graduates worsened to 5.29 percent
last month from 5.13 percent in January, significantly higher than the average
of 4.24 percent, the latest jobless figures from the Directorate-General of
Budget, Accounting and Statistics showed. The unemployment rate for people with
advanced degrees has stood at more than 5 percent since 2009.
Myths about higher education still prevail despite the high unemployment rate
among college and university graduates. A degree is no guarantee ¡X or indicator
¡X of sucess. To boost Taiwan¡¦s competitiveness, our ailing education system and
the public¡¦s mindset need overhauling.
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