Textbook destandardization, begun last year, is being implemented beginning at the first grade level. After five or six years of planning and pressure, primary and middle school textbook production will be opened to the private sector, ending the standardized state-produced text system. In this democratic and pluralized-not to mention highly competitive-society, more and more people will participate in the decisions about what children learn. And that means they also will participate in the responsibility.

When I was small we had to memorize our textbooks, from which all exam questions were taken. Sometimes I would think to myself how great the textbook writers must be, to know everything. But when the text proved difficult or boring, I would ask myself: Why do I have to memorize so much stuff? Except for taking exams, what is it useful for? We were never asked, and so we never considered, who decided what we should learn and when, and whether or not there might be alternatives.

And it was not only we students who never wondered. Teachers also rarely questioned the content or ordering of the textbooks. Indeed, it was always assumed that the best teacher was the one who strove to pour everything in the textbooks into the students. And since everybody in the country used the same standardized texts, there was no need to worry about how, or what, to choose.

Sadly, however, textbooks are naturally limited in scope, and as they became the whole focus for many students and teachers, they limited people's futures.

Like many education reform advocates, we are not accusing the old textbooks of being bad. In fact, good and bad are relative terms, and depend on whether other choices exist. And no textbook can be perfect, since they are only learning tools. What reformers wish for is to have comparison and choice. They want to see different textbooks being used in the classroom, so we can discover how best to teach, choose, and write texts. They-as all of us-hope learning can be more interesting, so that it becomes a lifelong habit.

We all also hope that, in this increasingly open and rapidly changing society, what textbooks teach can be better connected to the real world. We hope that the concepts and knowledge which we spend so much time learning can be of greater benefit to ourselves and to others.

So we welcome this first step with open arms, and affirm the spirit underlying textbook destandardization. With reform underway for one year now, Sinorama has visited publishers, officials, and scholars to discover what has been achieved so far, and what problems have been met. We have especially sought out the opinions of those on the "front lines"-primary school teachers.

In looking at this subject in depth, two themes stand out. First, what kind of material is in the new texts? What is their pedagogical approach? Are there marked differences from the old books? Second is an area of concern that involves very concrete interests-power and profit-and worries many educators: Who will have the power to decide which textbooks to purchase, and how will their commercialization affect the quality of education? Will textbooks be just another commodity? Will corruption result? Will the next generation be the ones who truly benefit from textbook destandardi-zation?

With these thoughts in mind, as the new school year begins, we offer two special articles on textbook destandardization: "The Textbook Revolution: Deciding What Children Learn" and "Textbook Commercialization: Choosing What Children Learn," as well as an informative chart on major events in Taiwan textbook history. Readers interested in educational reform in Taiwan will find a concise summary of what is happening in the area of textbook destandardi-zation.

South Africa's breaking of relations with Taiwan last year made citizens more concerned than ever with Taiwan's international situation. Also, "economic diplomacy" has been a major topic of discussion of late. Everyone agrees that diplomacy is an extension of national capabilities, and that broadening Taiwan's international space is good for all its citizens.

But many people wonder: When Taiwanese business people-a leading component in economic diplomacy-decide where to invest abroad, do they have enough information? What kinds of information and risk analysis do they have? Do they have the capability to supply these themselves? Will uninformed investment lead to serious losses? What firms have been most successful investing abroad? Why?

In our planning for coverage of Latin America, we decided to make Taiwan business a major focus. We discovered cases of highly successful investment in Latin American countries, in the information, textiles, banking, fishing, and other industries.

We have produced a special book collecting together our articles on Latin America Hands Across the Pacific, and have also been publishing selected articles in the magazine. This month's focus is on Acer's success in Latin America. Take a look and see how Acer has become the number one brand in many countries right in the "front yard" of its US competitors.