Taiwan should open its doors to Chinese students, university presidents say
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
CNA
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Several university presidents said yesterday that Taiwan should open its doors to Chinese students as soon as possible, insisting that there will be more pros than cons.
Taiwan's government late last year decided to allow Chinese students to study in Taiwan, but it will limit the number of mainland Chinese students to under 2,000 a year in the initial stage of the program.
The presidents of Taiwan's universities said during a press conference Tuesday that opening Taiwanese universities to Chinese students will not threaten Taiwanese students in any way, be it in the college entrance slots or job opportunities.
National Taiwan University President Lee Si-chen said that more than 80 percent of university presidents in Taiwan support opening Taiwanese universities to Chinese students, citing a survey conducted while he was serving as the head of the Association of National Universities.
It is a global trend to allow the free flow of students, and Taiwan should not selectively open its doors to students from other countries but not those from China, Lee said, adding that he expects local students will be greatly inspired by Chinese students' attitude toward learning.
The press conference was held by the legislative caucus of Taiwan's ruling party Kuomintang (KMT), which supports the move.
With a legislative committee scheduled to review law amendments regarding this issue today, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) 's legislative caucus said earlier Tuesday that they strongly opposed the government's plan to allow Chinese students to study in Taiwan.
However, the university presidents said the policy the government plans to carry out along with the opening, will protect Taiwanese students' interests.
Michael J.K. Chen, president of Ling Tung University in Taichung City, said that the government's decision to attach the "three restrictions and six noes" policy in allowing Chinese students to study in Taiwan will suit local circumstances.
The three restrictions on Chinese students include restrictions on universities to be enrolled in the program, the number of students to be admitted, and the professional areas in which the Chinese students' educational credentials will be recognized.
Under the "six noes," Chinese students will not be given preferential scores. They will not affect the number of local students to be enrolled, they will not be eligible for scholarships, and they will not be allowed to moonlight, seek jobs or take tests for civil service examinations in Taiwan after graduation.
Chen said the number of Taiwanese students aiming to obtain degrees in China was 1,888 in 2010, and the number has never exceeded 2,000 since 1987; therefore, Taiwan's move to impose an upper limit of 2,000 on the number of Chinese students in Taiwan will create a natural balance.
Chen, who is also the head of the Association of Private Universities and Colleges of Technology, also pointed out that around 60 percent of the foreign students in Japan's universities were from China last year, and about 70 percent of foreign students in South Korea were Chinese.
Last week, a Ministry of Education official said that at present there is an imbalance because China permits Taiwanese students to enter its universities, but as yet there are no reciprocal regulations in Taiwan.