While the answer remains true today, educators in Taiwan face even more complex problems than their predecessors in implementing this policy decision, because unlike traditional China, educational opportunity is now universal.
For centuries the Chinese have been known for their emphasis on education this can be attributed to Confucian thought and the system of enlisting talent through civil examinations, first begun in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and still practised in modern times. This almost unbroken history of examinations popularized the idea that learned men were worthy of great respect and should be especially rewarded with access to officialdom. Reverence for education and expectations for special employment considerations remain firmly rooted in today's society, but the process of access—both to higher education and to subsequent high status employment—has become an increasingly serious concern to government authorities, educators, parents, and students.
The process holds to the traditional form: an annual examination And each year, a couple of months before July, the efficacy of the Joint College Entrance Examination is brought into question. In recent years more than 100,000 high-school graduates have competed in each exam, but no more than 30,000 are accepted a year, and only a tiny minority of these are lucky enough to enter either the most prestigious universities or their first choice of departments. The intense competition is the result of the widespread belief that a college diploma guarantees better jobs with higher salaries. While this is not an unusual point of view, Taiwan's students face two situations quite different from their counterparts in Western countries. First, high-school students, generally speaking, must sit for the college entrance exams during the summer immediately following graduation when they are still "primed" by the cramming done during high school. If they delay, the exam content may shift from what has been emphasized in their high-school classes. Second, college students must complete their schooling "in one breath." A break in order to take a short-term job, for example, will prevent a return to student life unless the joint entrance exam is taken again.
The current structure of the Joint College Entrance Examination system and the comparatively rigid requirements both in secondary and higher education has recently come under fire from a new direction. Taiwan-born Dr. Yuan T. Lee, who shared the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, has recently added his voice to criticisms of the 33 year-old system. He says that it has fostered an approach to teaching that inhibits student abilities of analysis, judgment, and imagination.
ROC educators such as Professor Lin Pang-chieh agree. Dr. Lin, who has served on a nationally constituted committee to investigate the examination system and make recommendations for improvement, says: "It is no longer an exam to test students' ability to ponder questions. It forces them to give quick reactions to questions; therefore, memorization becomes the only way to achieve the desired results."
Despite criticisms from many sides, the system remains in place because it is still recognized as the fairest, most open and equal system for competition. Besides, some scholars hold that intense competition on the high-school level does have a positive side. The 1983 U.S. study, A Nation At Risk, reports that Japan's intense educational system—which is similar to that in Taiwan—contributes greatly to the country's competitive ability in the international market. There are supporters of the status quo in Taiwan's exam system who hold a similar view.
The United States emphasizes teaching students in accordance with their aptitude, whereas education in Taiwan is directed toward general student requirements. Nevertheless, many observers complain that curricula and schedules lack elasticity and hinder top students from giving free rein to their intelligence. Even those who would hesitate to change the established system would probably agree with the assessment of the situation by Deputy Minister of Education Daniel Yuan: "I have to admit that our education is good for 80 percent of the students, but not for the top 10 percent and the 10 percent on the bottom."
Taiwan's rapid industrialization and modernization during recent years—the so-called "economic miracle"—has contributed to the importance of the examination process. After the government moved to Taiwan in the late 1940s, it immediately embarked upon a comprehensive program aimed at upgrading the general educational level of the populace. Over the past 37 years, the number of high-school graduates steadily rose, reaching 58,000 in 1985, compared with 3,500 in 1950; college graduates increased from 1,000 in 1950 to 37,000 by 1985. These educational accomplishments have helped build a high-quality labor force that has made the rapid development of the past two decades possible. But as the labor force matures, people expect even greater educational opportunities for their children, especially in light of ROC demands for higher technological talents and skills from its workers.
Government authorities have already started to modify the current educational system in response to these new requirements. The criticisms are directed mainly toward the speed and extent of the reforms. So far, only a small range of change has been implemented. It is claimed that in the future exam questions will be more lively, and will not just stress memorization. Moreover, students with special talents will be recommended for admission directly to top schools. There are also efforts to make curricula more practical in order to meet the demands of Taiwan's rapid social changes. As stated in A Nation at Risk, "Reform of an educational system will take time and unwavering commitment." Those people examining the current examination policies in the ROC must agree. The traditional approach has served Chinese society well for generations, but the pressures of the contemporary world and of national development make adjustment and adaptation even more critical.