Taiwan Today

Every summer, thousands of high school graduates spend months burning the midnight oil in preparation for the grueling two-day entrance examination for colleges and universities. By late August, some of them will be receiving congratulations as exultant as those that greeted Lindbergh in Paris. Others will be shut up in their rooms, weeping. On August 24, 1964, 14,000 reigned as all-conquering heroes and heroines for a day while the bulk of the aspirants, or 22,000, miserably shunned all company. Many of the rejected will recover sufficiently to cram in some more learning and try again next year.

Despite a dramatic increase both in the number of colleges and universities and of enrollment, many students who want to go on to higher education will not be able to do so.

In 1945, when Taiwan was restored to the Republic of China after 50 years of Japan­ese rule, there were only four colleges and universities with enrollment of 1,331. Today there are 36 with undergraduate enrollment of 51,707. There are also 46 graduate schools at 10 institutions, and 19 college-level night schools.

Such phenomenal growth reflects the government's policy of encouraging higher education. Also indicative of the govern­ment's concern for free China's education-hungry young people are the measures to accommodate those who fail to make it into colleges. These students are directed into vocational or normal schools so as to prepare them for productive work.

Goals of higher education are many, including those of the professions and of general learning. National morality is stressed, along with the Chinese cultural tradition and the necessity of contributing to the commu­nity. Newly emphasized is the promotion of scientific research.

The 6 national, 13 provincial, and 17 private institutions offering undergraduate work had 7,200 faculty members and 51,707 students in 1963-64. The National Taiwan University, the largest, had 9,117 students. Of these, 2,308 were students of Chinese an­cestry who came from abroad and 123 were foreigners. Another 690 were enrolled in the university's night school.

As a public university, fees at NTU or Taita, as it is usually called, are lower than at private schools. Tuition is US$5.25 and incidental fees US$10 a semester. Corres­ponding charges at private schools are US$24 and US$15. Dormitory fees are about US$­7.50 a semester and board US$8 a month. Personal expenditures will amount to a min­imum of US$5 a month.

Up to Seven Years

Taiwan University and other institutions provide scholarships on a basis of merit and financial need. Donors include government agencies, church groups, and private organiza­tions and individuals.

Students state their preferred field of study before they take the entrance examination. Most list several choices. Distribution of freshmen among schools and departments is made according to the examination results.

Most Taiwan University students must complete 142 credit hours of course work for graduation. The requirement is stiffer for professional students. Medicine requires 7 years with 305 credit hours, dentistry 6 years with 262 credits, veterinary medicine 5 years with 196 credits. Some departments require a general examination before graduation, others a thesis.

Undergraduates take at least 14 and not more than 21 credit hours a semester. Required courses for all, usually fulfilled in the freshman and sophomore years, are Chinese, English, Three People's Principles (civics), physical education, and military training for both men and women.

Departmental requirements are strict. Undergraduate studies are as comprehensive as possible on the theory that independent study and research are mainly the concern of graduate schools. A major in English language and literature at the National Taiwan University is allowed no more than 24 credit hours of electives during his four years. Science and engineering students are in a similar situation. A civil engineering student at the same university has a maximum of 30 credit hours of electives.

Some students spend many hours in field work. Taiwan University agriculture majors gain practical experience on a 2,970-acre upland farm owned by the College of Agriculture. Forestry students take field trips to the university's 82,800-acre forest in central Taiwan. Medical students intern at the university hospital in Taipei. Taiwan Normal University graduates must put in a fifth year teaching at the secondary level before receiv­ing their degrees.

Seven of the colleges and universities operate night schools to enable those already working to earn degrees. In 1963, the total enrollment in night schools was 5,896.

Graduate Subsidies

Graduate facilities are still relatively limited. Although there are 46 faculties at 10 institutions, students have little choice of where to go. A student of philosophy, for example, can choose only between the Insti­tute of Philosophy at the National Taiwan University and the Department of Philosophy at the Catholic Fujen University. Graduate students in such subjects as chemistry, botany, psychology, and archaeology must attend National Taiwan University.

Inadequate facilities and competitive entrance examinations, plus the attractions of study abroad, limited the number of graduate students to 817 in 1963-64. Only 887 have received master's degrees and 6 doctor­ates since the island was restored to China in 1945.

All graduate study is subsidized by government research grants. Students have no tuition or fees to pay, are housed in university dormitories, and receive a monthly allowance of US$10. Foreign students receive US$20. Schools and departments offer scholarships and fellowships ranging from US$25 to US$200.

Candidates for the master's degree usual­ly must have two years of resident graduate study, complete 24 (National Taiwan Univer­sity) to 28 (National Chengchi University) Credit hours, demonstrate reading proficiency and pass a comprehensive oral examination.

In recent years, graduate schools have raised academic standards by combining theoretical studies with laboratory experiments and technical training. Emphasis is given science and technology. Government and academic institutions have undertaken to im­prove and expand research through the Long­ Range Science Development Program that was started in 1959. Scholars and scientists from abroad, many of Chinese ancestry, have come to Taiwan as visiting professors or lecturers as part of this program.

Government funds are given to research institutes annually for procurement and installation of laboratory apparatus, and for purchase of specimens, books, and audio­-visual and other teaching aids. Contri­butions from private foundations and international sources provide additional support.

Laboratories for engineering, agricultural, and medical studies have been built or renovated and re-equipped. Research is proceeding in nuclear science, electronics, and geophysics.

Nuclear Reactor

The National Tsing Hua University's Institute of Nuclear Science is the center for study of the peaceful uses of atomic energy. It has a 3-mev Van de Graaf accelerator, in­stalled in 1959, and cone-megawatt open-pool type atomic reactor that began operations in 1961 and produces eight radioisotopes. These fissionable materials meet international standards and are used in industry, agriculture, medicine, and pure research.

The Institute of Electronics at the National Chiao Tung University has 11 labora­tories and operates a workshop to repair and calibrate laboratory equipment, make and fabricate components for research projects, and design and manufacture teaching aids.

In branches of study other than science, graduate students have produced monographs, theses, and papers contributing substantially to the world of knowledge. Popular topics of research concern learning indigenous to Taiwan. The island's flora and fauna have pro­vided raw material for original research in zoology and botany. The habits, behavior, and folklore of the island's aborigines have provided inexhaustible subject matter for archaeological and anthropological study. Results of studies by graduate students and research fellow have been important in improving varieties of rice. Vast repositories of original documents and government archives attract students of modern Chinese history.

Students themselves are responsible for most extracurricular activities. The principal exceptions are the religious activities at church-sponsored colleges and universities and the manual work program at Tunghai University.

Chinese students also govern themselves. At the beginning of each semester, they elect class president, vice president, and several secretaries. The president and vice president represent their class in dealing with the school authorities and also act as ex officio officers of the student union. Class secretaries are responsible for finances, recreation, and services.

Each department of learning has an academic society which sponsors lectures and readings of periodical articles, theses, and reports. They also mimeograph or print arti­cles concerning their special field of interest.

Literary Interest

Some colleges utilize talents of their accounting, business administration, and banking students to operate a student bank. Agriculture majors at the National Taiwan University have their own dairy farm and make ice cream and popsicles to sell on campus.

Interdepartmental clubs bring together students of like interests. The most favored are such team sports as basketball and soccer, judo, Chinese boxing, classical music, drama, chess, bridge, photography, and Chinese opera.

Literary societies are popular. Most schools have a Chinese literary society composed of prose and poetry writing members. The reputable Modern Literature Quarterly started out as a monthly founded by National Taiwan University humanities majors and with student editors and contributors.

Off-campus extracurricular activities are sponsored by religious groups, civic organizations, and the nationwide China Youth Corps.

The YMCA, various churches, and the Catholic Tien Educational Center offer fellow­ship and recreation. Such civic organizations as the China Youth Orchestra, choral groups and social welfare institutions allow qualified students to take part in performances and projects.

Many From Abroad

The China Youth Corps offers a year-round program of evening classes in driving, auto mechanics, languages, cooking, and sewing. Mountain hikes and beach picnics are scheduled weekly. Summer activities are extensive. In 1964, 33,000 young men and women participated in 44 activities, including swimming, sailing, flying, parachuting, driving, mountaineering, wildlife study, commu­nity service, medical field work, and farming.

Work also plays a part in student life. Tunghai University students are required to help with campus maintenance for four hours a week during their freshman and sophomore years. Most night school students hold day­time jobs and many receive subsidies from their employers.

Full-time students who must work to put themselves through school or who want to earn spending money usually resort to tutoring. Most teach English or mathematics to high school pupils. Foreign students often teach their native languages. Chinese students sometimes give Mandarin lessons to foreigners. Tutoring jobs pay from US 65 cents to $1.50 an hour. Some students teach the children of their landlords for room and board.

Thousands of foreign students have dis­covered that the Republic of China offers them a sound education together with mastery of a language used by more people than any other. The 391 foreign students studying in Taiwan in 1964 represented 22 nations. Vietnam sent 221, the United States 50, and Korea 42.

Others came from Indonesia, Japan, Ma­laysia, the Philippines, and Thailand in the Far East; Jordan and Turkey in the Near East; Cameroun in Africa; El Salvador, Ni­caragua, and Panama in Latin America; Den­mark, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland in Europe, and Australia and Canada.

In addition to students formally enrolled at colleges and universities, about 100 others came to Taiwan for language tutoring or research.

Sound academic standards and up-to-date technical equipment draw students from the Far East, Near East, Africa, and Latin America. Many of them enter as freshmen and stay for four years. For students from other areas, the strongest attractions are training in the Chinese language and excellent research facilities for Chinese history, political science, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, and art history.

One hundred and seventy-nine of 1964's foreign students were enrolled at the National Taiwan University and the rest at 13 other colleges and universities. Those engaged in independent research often work with histor­ical documents and records at the Academia Sinica, or art and archaeological objects in the National Palace Museum collection.

For language training, most students turn to the Mandarin Language Training Center at the Provincial Normal University or the Stanford University Language Center. Both provide audio-visual language aids, individual tutoring, group work, and practice in reading and writing. The spoken language taught is the official, most widely used Mandarin dialect.

Academic considerations aside, most foreign students find it easy to adjust to life in Taiwan. They live economically and pleasantly in school dormitories, at the Taipei International House, or with Chinese families. A total of US$50 a month is enough for room, board, and personal expenses for most students. At International House, a male foreign student can get a room for US$10.25 a month and a meal of soup, meat and vegetables, and rice for 25 cents. The National Taiwan University dormitories charge only US$1.50 a month and board costs only US$11.50 a month. A private room with a Mandarin­-speaking family may cost more, but offers the additional attractions of continuous lan­guage practice, home cooking, and quicker cultural adjustment.

Many foreign students come to Taiwan at their own expense. Some hold fellowship from foundations and universities in their own countries. Fifty of them are studying in Taiwan on US$240 scholarships granted by the Ministry of Education.

Foreign students often come to Taiwan upon recommendation of teachers of Chinese studies. Students who come independently are given information on application procedures and scholarship possibilities by the Chinese Ministry of Education and by the Foreign Ministry and its representatives abroad.