Popular college joke: "If Sun Yat-sen had to take a test on The Three Principles of the People, he'd probably fail." Does this time-honored but much disliked required course still have a role to play in Taiwan's educational system?
"The Republic of China, founded on The Three Principles of the People, shall be a democratic republic of the people, to be governed by the people, and for the people." So reads Article 1 of the ROC Constitution. The Three Principles--"nationalism," "democracy," and "social well-being"--were formulated by Sun Yat-sen, the ROC's founding father, initially as a series of demands by his revolutionary organizations: the Chinese Revolutionary Party, created in July 1914, and its replacement, the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, or KMT), established on October 10, 1919.
Over the years, Sun refined his detailed explanations of these principles, giving them final form in 1924 during a series of lectures, entitled "The Three Principles of the People," in Canton. By this time, Sun's thinking had been influenced by the socialist revolution in Russia and by the writings of Lenin. For instance, Sun adjusted his principle of democracy, saying that before China could enjoy representative government it must pass through a period of "political tutelage," during which the Kuomintang would hold most of the power. His principle of people's livelihood had always connoted considerable state control of industry, and in his lectures he reinforced its socialist overtones.
For decades, study of the Three Principles has been an integral part of the educational curriculum from primary school through college, and the subject is included in secondary school and university entrance exams. Civil service exams also devote a large section to Sun Yat-sen's philosophy. The courses are theoretically designed to give an understanding of Sun's writings and their links with nation-building, national policies, and social development.
As Taiwan becomes more modern and internationalized, it has increasingly become necessary to revamp textbooks to interpret Sun's lectures in ways to make them more relevant to the changing times. And along with Taiwan's shift from an authoritarian to a democratic society has come increased criticism of the required Three Principles courses as being a propagandistic vestige of authoritarian rule.
The Examination Yuan decided in January 1995 that exam questions on the Three Principles should be deleted from civil service examinations, and the Ministry of Education (MOE) decided in May of the same year that the total test score for the Three Principles portion of the Joint University Entrance Exam would be reduced from 100 to 50 points, out of a possible total of 550 points. The MOE has appointed a 20-member committee of teachers and other experts to formulate new approaches to the structure and content of the subject. Although the committee has submitted some preliminary suggestions for change, the jury is still out on the future of Three Principles courses.
In the following interview with the Free China Review, Guo Cheng-chern (郭謙臣), who teaches The Three Principles of the People at Taipei Municipal First Girls' Senior High School, talks about the changes in the subject over the years, and its role in contemporary education.
FCR: Courses in the Three Principles have often been criticized by the public. Why is this?
Guo Cheng-chern: Such criticism usually falls into three areas: teaching materials, teaching methods, and examination questions. In the days of martial law, the compilers of teaching materials cautiously adhered to certain unspoken rules about what should be included in the texts, and they were afraid to make changes. But they sometimes interpreted Sun's teachings out of context, which caused confusion and contradictions.
Moreover, some teachers did not--and still don't--have a thorough understanding of the Three Principles. If teachers can't offer reasonable interpretations and explanations of Sun's philosophy, the students will naturally conclude that his writings are merely ideological teachings, based on authority and not on reason. Students will also think of the Three Principles as outdated and rigid if teachers are unable to give interpretations and examples that reflect the changing times.
The primary blame, however, for the subject's reputation as an authoritarian and doctrinal body of instruction falls on the design of the joint entrance examination questions. In our educational system, the entrance exams dictate what is taught. The best way to study, therefore, is to emphasize rote memorization and learning trivial details. Everyone knows "The more you memorize, the higher your scores." But this system fails to test the real extent of students' understanding.
As to the criticism that the subject is nothing more than "ideology," I think that is a false and politicized accusation. We shouldn't eliminate the courses, but we should strive to explain the relevance of Sun's perspectives on society and government in the Three Principles, including people's rights, democracy, freedom, and fair competition.
How has the teaching of the Three Principles changed?
The teaching of the subject before the 1980s focused on theory, covering mainly Marxism and Leninism, and current affairs, including detailed descriptions of Communist China's tyrannical rule. The primary purposes of the lessons were to help students understand the ROC's founding spirit as embodied in Sun Yat-sen's writings, and to inculcate students with anti-communist concepts.
But the lifting of martial law in 1987 brought about drastic changes in our social and political environment. In an attempt to improve cross-strait relations, the lessons no longer put as much emphasis on Communist China's tyranny or theories such as class struggle. Moreover, the textbooks were changed to delete strong anti-Communist language in 1991 [when the ROC government officially terminated its policy to "retake the mainland"].
What can be done to adapt the courses to the present and also meet the interests and needs of students?
In addition to works by Sun Yat-sen, other kinds of social and political theories should be provided as supplementary materials to make the subject more comprehensive. Teachers should cite or quote extensively to clarify such theories, and they should make teaching materials more lively and related to everyday life. Success in this, however, depends on teachers' personal experience and how hard they work to improve their own knowledge and teaching skills. And the design of examination questions should be based on the principle of simplicity. There shouldn't be ambiguous questions that may trigger disputes over the correct answers. It has been said that if Dr. Sun were to take the test himself, he would probably fail.
What's really important is that this subject should not be politicized. Some people have urged the elimination of the Three Principles as a symbol of the lifting of martial law in education. That lacks sound logic. Dr. Sun's principles, such as the rights of people and the need for national development, are still valuable today. Based on my own twenty-three years of teaching experience, I think that the Three Principles can be easily integrated with either civic education or social science courses. If this happens, it will also be in line with the trend of integrating science and technology courses.
--interview by Kelly Her