Theory vs practice
The MOE's objective is twofold: it is attempting to raise the international profile of Taiwan's research-oriented universities, while at the same time encouraging other schools to become more teaching-oriented and strive for educational excellence.
But this raises yet another problem: while it is relatively easy to measure the quality of research by looking at the number of papers published or patents received, measuring the quality of education is a far more difficult matter.
Last year, the MOE began promoting an educational excellence program that offers subsidies to help schools refine their approach to pedagogy. If the MOE approves a school's proposal, it pays 90% of its cost. The program paid out NT$1 billion to 13 schools last year, and is paying NT$5 billion this year. Over the program's three-year life, the MOE expects to provide subsidies totaling NT$15 billion to 30-40% of Taiwan's colleges and universities.
Whether research- or teaching-oriented, Taiwan's universities still operate on a value system that privileges "pure learning" over vocational education. This is posing a major difficulty to vocationally oriented colleges and universities.
The MOE originally planned to designate educational institutions (such as teacher training colleges) and technical/vocational schools (such as universities of technology or the arts) as vocationally oriented universities, but has had trouble reaching a consensus on the issue.
Technical/vocational schools face chronic difficulties finding faculty and appropriately orienting their curricula.
The problem stems in part from a lack of people with PhDs teaching in technical and professional fields. Because the MOE requires that heads of departments hold PhDs, departments are frequently led by someone with a PhD in a different field. The curricula are typically a hodge-podge, theory and practice are not given equal attention, schools find it difficult to recruit better students, and curricula often don't meet the needs of the job market.
"What to do about vocational/technical education in Taiwan is a really big issue," says NTU's Wang Hsiou-huai. She says that you used to be able to go to work straight out of a vocational high school. Now, however, students who aren't really university material have to sit through four years of college and a theory-oriented curriculum that doesn't really suit them. And professors with PhDs find it difficult to teach these students how to actually put their knowledge to use. "They spend all day struggling with students who have no interest in class," says Wang. "It's really tough."
"Is there any need," she wonders, "for the majority of students to study for four more years? Isn't it a waste of both teachers' and students' precious time?"
Stanley Yen, president of the Landis Hotels and Resorts group, once remarked that a good chef who lays down his knives to write papers and study ingredients is neither applying his talents nor acting in keeping with his character.
Preparing for closures
Given that resources for higher education are limited, that higher-educational functions are being divided among different types of schools, that birthrates are falling, and that the pool of students is shrinking, it is inevitable that some schools will eventually fail.
Can universities be closed?
"Of course they can!" exclaims Chen Der-hwa. He says that when the University Act and the Private School Act were revised last year, the MOE was very concerned with establishing viable exit mechanisms, such as allowing mergers or transforming schools into public facilities catering to our aging society.
Given the recent developments in higher education in Taiwan, it's a safe bet that we are going to be looking for the right mix of reforms for some time to come. After all, though facilities can be quickly built, creating a sound, comprehensive university system and a healthy academic culture takes time and effort. The spread of university education to the public at large is just the beginning.