The subject of education in Taiwan covers too wide a field and involves too many problems to be dealt with in a short article like this. The writer will, therefore, confine himself to some of his personal observations for the reference of those who are interested in the various aspects of education in Free China.
Achievements
Since the liberation of Taiwan more than six years ago, progress in the field of education has kept pace with advances made in the political, economic, social and cultural fields. For the first two or three years following the liberation of Taiwan, emphasis in education was centered on the re-orientation of policy, updating of the educational system, introduction of necessary organizational changes, replenishment of personnel, rehabilitation of educational institutions and popularization of mandarin as the standard Chinese language. Owing to the instability of the political situation then obtaining, however, only partial success could be claimed for the above projects.
As the military situation on the mainland took a turn for the worse, the position of Taiwan assumed a new importance. In 1949, when General Chen Cheng became Governor of Taiwan, urgent attention was drawn to the carrying out of land reforms on the one hand and the drawing up of an educational program on the other. In the latter task, special stress was laid on the realization of universal education, the furnishing of aid and scholarships to promising students, the extension of vocational guidance to trade and technical school graduates, and the dovetailing of the educational policy into the overall national policy.
Under circumstances that could hardly be considered favorable, 1,354 classes were added to the primary and secondary schools in Taiwan between August, 1949 and January, 1950, absorbing an additional 72,655 students. During the same period, assistance was given 2,466 students in securing employment. These accomplishments, when seen in the light of the circumstances, must be regarded as an educational milestone in Taiwan.
In view of the increased importance of Taiwan following the evacuation of the Central Government to the island in the winter of 1949, the Ministry of Education found it necessary to formulate the following measures in order to bring the educational policy into alignment with the overall national policy of resisting Communism and Soviet Russia:
1. Strengthening the democratic front. Students are to be made acquainted with the various aspects of the Three People's Principles through curricular and extracurricular activities, so that they may better realize the evils of Communism on the one hand and strengthen their faith in the Three People's Principles on the other.
2. Inculcation of the feeling of nationalism. Mandarin is to be made the standard Chinese language in order to foster the feeling of national unity. At the same time, the feeling of patriotism and the love of democratic freedom are to be instilled in the students through lessons in citizenship, history, geography and current affairs. Furthermore, students must be encouraged to participate in group-activities, such as the organization of anti-espionage units, etc.
3. Intensification of physical training. Students of secondary schools and institutes of higher learning should be encouraged to work in the field. Students above the age of 16 or 17 are to be given military training and instructions in war services. Attention is to be given to the physical condition of the students, the practice of preventive medicine, and projects requiring cooperation between the home, the school and the local private and public organizations.
4. Promotion of social education. Full use is to be made of libraries, museums, broadcasting, motion pictures, plays, etc, to disseminate general knowledge and to arouse the national consciousness of the people. In addition, the educational authorities, In so far as possible, are to open evening classes so that the illiterate may be taught to read, to arrange for lectures for the benefit of the masses, and to give every encouragement to teachers and students to take part in social welfare work.
In the spring of 1950, when troops of the national army evacuated from Hainan Island and the Chusan Islands to Taiwan, it became necessary for all primary and middle schools on the island to vacate a part of their premises for the accommodation of the troops. This occurred at a time when the influx of refugees from the mainland was at its height. To make it possible for refugee students to continue their studies without interruption, all schools were instructed by the Government to take in more students by running one school in the morning and another in the afternoon.
Needless to say, this drastic increase in the student body gave rise to unprecedented problems of discipline and placed, at the same time, an added burden on the teachers. Fortunately, during the past three years, many new buildings have been put up for the accommodation of the troops, and most of the schools have reverted to whole-day school instead of half-day.
In recent years, the MSA and JCRR have, either directly or indirectly, rendered valuable services in the field of education in Taiwan. These services include the selection of experts in the different fields of learning to undergo further training in the United States, the promotion of educational projects in the rural areas, the donation of medical supplies and milk powder, and assisting the Provincial Education Department in improving sanitary conditions in schools and the feeding of undernourished school children, etc.
While much has already been done in the field of education, we may do well to ponder what problems remain to be solved and how we may go about solving them.
According to a report covering the period from August, 1951 to January, 1952 released by the Provincial Education Department, Taiwan has a total of 1,506 schools of all types with an enrollment of 1,127,673. In other words, one out of every six people on the island is a student at school: This compares very favorably with countries where a high educational standard has been achieved.
Throughout the province, there is a total of 1,287 government-run primary schools and kindergartens with an enrollment of 992,195. This represents 81.49% of all children who have reached school age, and an increase of 10% over the figure one year before the liberation of the island.
There are on the island 212 secondary schools, including 128 ordinary secondary schools, eight normal schools and 76 vocational schools. With an aggregate enrollment of 127,496, this represents an increase of 97% over the figure for the year before the liberation of the island.
There are seven institutions d higher learning, including one national university, three colleges with university standing run by the provincial government, and three other institutes of higher learning with a total enrollment of 7,982. This represents an increase of 349% over the figure before liberation. It is to be further noted that just before liberation, there were only 355 Taiwanese students undergoing higher education. This represents a mere 20% of the total, the rest being students of Japanese nationality. Today, 70% of the students pursuing higher studies are Taiwanese.
In addition to the above, there are ten continuation schools teaching general subjects, 27 part-time vocational schools, 247 short-term evening classes, 2 schools for the blind and the dumb, 17 libraries, three museums, 415 radio-listening posts, eight mobile educational units and 22 mobile motion picture units.
The afore-mentioned achievements were made possible partly due to the Government's policy of giving equal opportunity to all, the granting of free tuition in government schools, and the furnishing of subsidies and scholarships and vocational guidance for graduates, and partly to the fact that land reform measures have enabled more farmers to send their children to school. The influx of students from the mainland during the past few years further helped to swell the number of students in Taiwan.
If we look at the figures more closely, we may see that the number of ordinary secondary schools constitutes 60% of all secondary schools. They have a student body of 84,850, or over 66% of the total of 127,496 secondary school students. There is every indication, too, that the percentage is getting gradually bigger.
Problems
According to reports released by the Provincial Education Department for the first terms of 1947 and 1951, it may be seen that there has been an increase of 58% in the number of ordinary secondary school students. In other words, the majority of students of secondary school age are being absorbed by ordinary secondary schools. This sizable increase in the number of ordinary secondary school students has, in its turn, resulted in a drastic increase in the number of students trying to gain admission into institutes of higher learning. In the autumn of 1948, 802 candidates out of a total of 3,568 who sat for the entrance examination held by the National Taiwan University succeeded in gaining admission. Last autumn, out of a total of 5,758 candidates, only 922 were successful. In other words, while there was an increase of over 61% in the number of candidates, there was an increase of only 14% in the number of successful candidates. In the autumn of 1949, out of a total of 2,192 candidates who sat for the Taiwan Provincial Teachers College entrance examination, 349 succeeded in gaining admission. Last autumn, the number of candidates was increased to 4,769, only 335 of whom were successful. In other words, while there was an increase of 117% in the number of candidates, 14 fewer students were taken. There is ample indication that competition for admission into institutes of higher learning will become even keener.
While credit is to be given the Government for making it possible for more Taiwanese to enjoy the benefits of secondary and higher education, and while the keenness of competition for entry into institutes of higher learning may be taken as a sign of progress, it is a matter of regret that on account of the small number of universities and institutes of higher learning in Taiwan, large numbers of candidates will be deprived of the privileges of higher education if the matriculation examination standard is to be maintained. This lack of coordination between secondary schools and institutes of higher learning is regrettable.
Need for Vocational Training
To rectify this deplorable situation, it is necessary that secondary schools should attempt to satisfy actual needs on the one hand and to revise the curriculum on the other. For instance, junior secondary school students should be given more vocational training so that they may be better fitted for making a living. More hours should be devoted to selective courses in the various trades. Senior secondary school students should be directed to take either art or science courses, so that they may be better prepared to take the matriculation examination to the university or technical institutes. In this way, those graduates of junior secondary schools who wish to enter into the vocations could enroll in vocational schools without having to go on to senior secondary school. If they have no wish to undergo higher education, they would still be sufficiently equipped to make a living.
The adoption of this plan will not only serve to relieve the congestion of senior secondary schools, but the achievement of a higher academic standard will make graduates of senior secondary schools better prepared for the matriculation examination to institutes of higher learning.
Another effective way of rectifying the situation is for institutes of higher learning in cooperation with industrial and commercial organizations to introduce such courses as navigation, ship-building and weaving (or to provide such schools if necessary) which have such an important bearing on the economic life of the island. The introduction of these special courses or schools will eliminate the glut of secondary school graduates who are incapable of making their own living and who stand little chance of being absorbed by institutes of higher learning under present circumstances.
Vocational Schools
There are 76 vocational schools with an enrollment of 36,481. This represents over 35% of the total number of secondary schools and over 28% of the total number of secondary school students, and compares very favorably with the figures for similar secondary schools in the other provinces of China.
According to a report issued by the Provincial Education Department in 1950, while vocational education on the island was making good headway so far as the number of such institutions was concerned, there was need for improvement in the way they were operated.
In recent years, the authorities have laid emphasis not so much on enlarging the number of vocational schools, but on raising the standard of such institutions. This
may be gathered from the fact that in the past few years, a number of discussions have been arranged by the Education Ministry as well as the Provincial Education Department to draw up a syllabus for vocational schools, the compilation of text books, the purchase of necessary equipment, etc. The shortage of qualified teachers, however, is a problem that seems to defy solution. This may be explained by the fact that we have made no provision for the training of vocational school teachers, and that the remuneration is not such as would lure qualified technicians into the teaching profession. Unless this problem is solved, it would be idle to talk about enlarging the number of vocational schools or of raising the standard of such institutions.
Normal Schools
There are eight normal schools with a total enrollment of 6,165. This represents less than 4% of the total number of secondary schools and less than 5% of the total number of secondary school students. It is obvious that the number of such schools and of potential teachers is far from being adequate in meeting actual needs. According to statistics available, fewer than 1,800 teachers gradate from normal schools annually. In other words, government primary schools can expect to secure the service of no more than 1.5 teachers for each school annually. The critical shortage of teachers is accentuated by the fact that a considerable number of unqualified teachers are being weeded out every year, and that the number of primary schools will have to be further increased if all children of school age are to be accommodated.
From the foregoing paragraphs, the conclusion may be drawn that to cope with the educational situation, it would be necessary on the one hand to relieve the overcrowding of ordinary secondary schools and, on the other, to set up a sufficient number of vocational schools and normal schools.
Higher Educational Standard
While effort is made to enlarge the number of institutes of learning, we must not overlook the importance of improving the standard of education. This involves such questions as the curriculum, the availability of qualified teachers and the replenishment of equipment and teaching materials. It is gratifying to note that due attention has, during recent years, been paid by the education authorities to the above requirements. During the past year, for instance, a number of discussions have been arranged by the Ministry of Education for the exchange of views on the system of secondary education and on the secondary school curriculum. As a result of these discussions, the curriculum for normal schools as well as vocational schools has been revised. Furthermore, two provincial secondary schools have been designated to experiment with the system of having four years of junior secondary school and two years of senior secondary school, while five secondary schools have been requested to study the overall question of the syllabus for secondary schools.
Qualification of Teachers
After the liberation of Taiwan, Japanese teachers were repatriated to Japan. Out of the original 15,000 primary school teachers, only half that number remained. Most of the secondary school teachers were of Japanese nationality, since Taiwanese secondary school teachers (including a few college instructors) numbered only 111.
To relieve the acute shortage of teachers, the local authorities enlisted the service of large numbers of teachers from the mainland. One teachers college and five additional normal schools have since been set up.
Although the situation has been somewhat improved as a result of the large numbers of teachers graduated from the normal schools on the one hand and the influx of teachers from the mainland on the other, the qualification of these teachers is not all that it should be. To raise the qualification of teachers, the educational authorities have organized boards for the screening of primary and secondary school teachers, and have opened training classes for primary and secondary school teachers during the holidays.
According to a report compiled by the provincial educational authorities covering the period between February, 1951 and July, 1951, out of a total of 20,997 primary school teachers 17,412, or 85% of the total, have been found to be qualified. According to the same report, 6,622 secondary school teachers, or over 90% of the total, have been found to be qualified. From the above figures, it may be seen that considerable progress has been made in improving the qualification of teachers during the past six years.
Be that as it may, not many of the teachers who have been found to be qualified are graduates of normal schools. Many secondary school teachers are not teaching subjects of which they have made a special study. Most primary school teachers are the products of the Japanese system of education. While a lot can be said for their spirit of service, they tend to stick to outmoded educational practices, such as forcible cramming and corporal punishment. Furthermore, many of them are not sufficiently acquainted with the culture of their mother country, and have yet to master the mandarin language. The undesirable influence which they exert on the youngsters may be readily seen.
Equipment
So far as primary and secondary schools are concerned, the school premises and grounds are, on the whole, satisfactory. The same, however, cannot be said for school libraries and apparatus. Most of the books kept by schools are Japanese, while much of the apparatus are no longer usable. In recent years, the educational authorities have done their level best to replenish the school libraries and apparatus. For instance, the entire sum of 8,000,000,000 old Taiwan currency donated by the National Resources Commission for cultural reconstruction purposes has been allocated to various schools for the replenishment of their libraries and equipment. In 1950, large quantities of books and equipment were allocated by the Ministry of Education to vocational schools and institutes of higher learning. The Provincial Education Department has further commissioned the Provincial Taipei Technical Institute and the attached secondary school of the Taiwan Provincial Teachers College
to make laboratory equipment, to collect specimens, and to make models, etc, for the use of schools lacking in such equipment.
According to an investigation conducted by the Taiwan branch of the Chinese National Education Association in Taipei Hsien and I-lan Hsien in the year 1949, only nine of the 78 schools, visited in Taipei were equipped with libraries, and of the 39 schools visited in I-Ian, only 4 were so equipped. Although the situation may have improved somewhat since then, it cannot be denied that the shortage of books for students and reference materials for teachers remains acute.
At the instigation of the Ministry of Education, the Compiling and Editing Committee of the Provincial Education Department has, in recent years, given considerable attention to the matter of providing textbooks for all primary schools in Taiwan. As to textbooks for secondary schools, the Provincial Education Department has also requested various book companies to enlist the service of experts in various fields in the compilation of textbooks for secondary schools.
The most serious shortage at the moment is that of technical books for vocational schools and supplementary books for secondary schools. Although the Compiling and Editing Committee has done a good deal in trying to remedy the situation, it is not expected that the problem will be completely solved in the near future in view of the fact that most of the libraries in Taiwan were stocked with obsolete Japanese books and on account of the difficulty of obtaining English textbooks on science and other technical subjects. It is hoped that the Government, the general public and other interested parties will do their best in the collection of publications of an academic nature so that their acute shortage may soon be remedied.
Social Education
In the foregoing, we have discussed the educational situation with particular reference to schools. During recent years, thanks to the untiring efforts of the Ministry of Education, marked progress has been made in the field of social education, especially through the medium of broadcasting. There are now a network of over 400 listening posts throughout the island. The chief station, which is in Taipei, makes a 15-minute broadcast over the Taiwan Broadcasting Station in the morning and in the afternoon. These broadcasts include analyses of current events, talks on the need of standing up against the Chinese Communists and Soviet Russia, ways and means of boosting production, health guidance, story telling and talks on general knowledge and science.
Another medium of social education is the cinema. Mobile motion picture units have been organized in the various hsiens and cities. This project includes education on citizenship, production, language, health, art, and other subjects that might be of interest to people in the more remote regions.
In 1951, the provincial educational authorities laid down broad policies on mass education for the guidance of the hsien and municipal authorities concerned. Such media of social education as lectures, plays, motion pictures, concerts, games and exhibitions are geared to the mood of the various festivals.
Lastly, as regards those who have not had the benefit of education, instruction has been given by the Provincial Education Department to the various primary schools throughout the island to open special classes for the 1,383,050 illiterate adults in Taiwan. In view of financial difficulties and the already heavy burden imposed on primary school teachers, results have not, however, measured up to expectations.
Provided the Government, the provincial and local authorities pool their resources together and bend their effort in the same direction, there is no reason why the above-mentioned obstacles cannot be overcome. At a time when every effort is made to establish self-government on the island and to strengthen our armed might preparatory to the re-conquest of the Chinese mainland, we should eliminate every obstacle in the way of self-government and of raising the educational standard of the masses. To prepare ourselves for the re-conquest of the mainland and the reconstruction of our country, it is necessary that the 8,000,000 civilians and members of the armed forces in Taiwan should be united in order to make this island truly a bastion of democracy.