US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI2747

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 002747 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/TC, EAP/PD, INR 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2015 
TAGS: KPAO, TW 
SUBJECT: TAIWAN MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL 
REFORM IN TAIWAN 
 
Classified By: DIRECTOR DOUGLAS H. PAAL, REASONS 1.4 (B/D) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: THE CURRENT MINISTER OF EDUCATION TU 
SHENG-CHENG IS CURRENTLY VISITING THE U.S. AND PLANS TO MEET 
THE U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION NEXT WEEK.  FOLLOWING IS A 
DESCRIPTION OF THIS CONTROVERSIAL MINISTER AND SOME OF THE 
DIFFICULT ISSUES HE HAS FACED, INCLUDING A PROGRAM OF 
EDUCATIONAL REFORMS AND INITIATIVES THAT HAD BEEN PASSED DOWN 
BY HIS PREDECESSORS IN THE DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY 
(DPP).  UNIVERSALLY REGARDED AS A BRILLIANT SCHOLAR, AND WITH 
SOLID SUPPORT IN THE LEGISLATIVE YUAN, MINISTER TU HAS 
NEVERTHELESS RECEIVED HARSH CRITICISM FOR THE UNCERTAIN 
FUTURE OF TAIWAN'S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. END SUMMARY. 
 
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TU SHENG-CHENG,S EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND 
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2.  (U) TU HAS BEEN IN OFFICE SINCE 2004, WHEN PRESIDENT CHEN 
SHUI-BIAN,S SECOND TERM BEGAN.  HE COMES FROM A 
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND HAS HELD KEY 
POSITIONS IN SEVERAL OF TAIWAN,S TOP ACADEMIC AND SCHOLARLY 
INSTITUTIONS. TU STUDIED AT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMIC AND 
POLITICAL SCIENCES AND HOLDS A MASTERS DEGREE IN HISTORY FROM 
NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY. FROM 1984 UNTIL PRESENT HE HAS 
BEEN A RESEARCH FELLOW AT THE INSTITUTE OF HISTORY AND 
PHILOLOGY AT ACADEMIA SINICA, TAIWAN,S LEADING ACADEMIC AND 
RESEARCH INSTITUTION. PRIOR TO JOINING ACADEMIA SINICA, TU 
WAS A VISITING SCHOLAR AT THE HARVARD-YENCHING INSTITUTE FROM 
1983 TO 1984. AFTER RETURNING TO TAIWAN TU ALSO SERVED AS 
DIRECTOR OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF HISTORY AT NATIONAL 
TSING-HUA UNIVERSITY FROM 1986 TO 1987 AND THEN SERVED AS 
 
SIPDIS 
CHAIRMAN OF THE ANTHROPOLOGY GROUP IN TAIWAN FROM 1987 TO 
1993. TU SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE ACADEMIC REVIEWAL AND 
EVALUATION GROUP OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION FROM 1989 TO 
1992. IN 1992 TU RETURNED TO THE UK AS A VISITING SCHOLAR AT 
THE SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY 
OF LONDON. HE THEN RETURNED TO TAIWAN,S MINISTRY OF 
EDUCATION AND BECAME AN ACADEMIC ADVISOR TO THE MINISTRY FROM 
1994 TO 1995. IN 1995, TU BECAME THE DIRECTOR OF THE 
INSTITUTE OF HISTORY AND PHILOLOGY AT ACADEMIA SINICA, AND 
STAYED IN THIS POSITION FROM 1995 TO 2000. FOLLOWING HIS 
ASSIGNMENT TO ACADEMIA SINICA HE WAS NAMED DIRECTOR OF THE 
NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM AND SERVED THERE FROM 2000 TO 2004. 
 
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EDUCATIONAL REFORM POLICY: GOALS OF THE PAST 
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3.  (U) TAIWAN HAS UNDERGONE DRAMATIC EDUCATIONAL REFORMS 
OVER THE PAST 13 TO 14 YEARS. IN 1991 FORMER TAIWAN PRESIDENT 
LEE TENG-HUI FIRST INITIATED A REVIEW OF PROGRAMS TO REFORM 
THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA, A SYSTEM 
INSTALLED IN TAIWAN BY THE KUOMINTANG (KMT) FOLLOWING THE 
POST-1949 EXODUS. THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF THE LEE 
ADMINISTRATION WAS TO STREAMLINE THE EDUCATION SYSTEM FOR 
TAIWAN BY MINIMIZING THE AMOUNT OF ROTE MEMORIZATION REQUIRED 
BY STUDENTS, ESSENTIALLY MAKING ELEMENTARY EDUCATION SIMPLER 
AND MORE COMPARABLE TO THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF THE UNITED 
STATES. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED WITH TAIWAN,S 
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION WAS THE AMOUNT OF TIME NEEDED FOR 
STUDENTS TO STUDY IN ORDER TO BE COMPETITIVE FOR HIGHER 
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. THE HIGH LEVEL OF COMPETITION 
STILL CREATES A NEED FOR STUDENTS TO DEVOTE TIME OUTSIDE OF 
THE CLASSROOM TO ATTEND &CRAM8 SCHOOL CLASSES, WHICH IN 
TURN CREATES AN ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL BURDEN, PARTICULARLY FOR 
PARENTS OF LOWER INCOMES. CRITICS SAY THAT TAIWAN,S CURRENT 
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION SYSTEM ESSENTIALLY PUTS CHILDREN WHO 
COME FROM WEAKER ECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS AT A DISADVANTAGE.  THE 
LEE INITIATIVE ALSO CALLED FOR AN INCREASED LEVEL OF 
COMPETITIVENESS IN TAIWAN'S HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM, WHICH 
WOULD REQUIRE GREATER ALLOCATION OF FUNDS TO TOP RESEARCH 
INSTITUTIONS AND LABORATORIES THROUGHOUT THE ISLAND. 
 
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EDUCATION REFORM POLICY RESULTS AND SHORTCOMINGS 
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4.  (C) INSTEAD OF PRODUCING MORE COMPETITIVE STUDENTS, 
OBSERVERS AGREE THAT THE OVERALL QUALITY OF GRADUATES FROM 
TAIWANESE UNIVERSITIES OR COLLEGES HAS DROPPED NOTICEABLY IN 
RECENT YEARS. THIS IS LARGELY IN RESPONSE TO THE INCREASING 
NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. SEVERAL SCHOOLS 
OF THOUGHT CONTEND THAT THE CREATION OF NEW UNIVERSITIES AND 
COLLEGES AND DISTRIBUTION OF LIMITED RESOURCES TO THEM 
THROUGHOUT TAIWAN SIMPLY DILUTES  OVERALL COMPETITIVENESS OF 
TAIWANESE GRADUATING CLASSES, THUS MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR 
COMPANIES TO FIND COMPETENT EMPLOYEES. SOME SUGGEST THAT A 
CONSOLIDATION OF UNIVERSITIES IS NECESSARY TO MAKE THE 
ADMISSIONS PROCESS MORE COMPETITIVE. IN ADDITION, BY HAVING 
FEWER UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES TO FUND, THE CENTRAL 
GOVERNMENT WOULD BE ABLE TO DEDICATE MORE FUNDING TO 
PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITIES FOR THE PURPOSE OF ESTABLISHING HIGH 
QUALITY RESEARCH FACILITIES AND LABS THAT ARE MORE COMPARABLE 
TO MANY OF THE HIGH RANKING INSTITUTIONS THROUGHOUT THE 
WORLD. 
 
5.   (C) EDUCATION CURRICULUM HAS BECOME A POLARIZED ISSUE 
FOR POLITICIANS. THE CURRENT RULING PARTY, UNDER MINISTER OF 
EDUCATION TU, HAS STRIVEN TO REVISE THE HISTORY TEXTBOOKS TO 
A MORE TAIWAN-ORIENTED EMPHASIS, WHEREAS, IN THE PAST THE 
HISTORY TEXTBOOKS WERE DOMINATED BY CHINESE HISTORY IMPORTED 
BY THE KMT FROM THE MAINLAND. THE REVISIONS HAVE CREATED 
MIXED EMOTIONS IN TAIWANESE SOCIETY. STUDENTS OF PARENTS THAT 
VOTE PREDOMINANTLY KMT AND HAVE A MORE RECENT HISTORY OF 
IMMIGRATION FROM THE MAINLAND FEEL A SENSE OF ANIMOSITY IN 
SOCIETY. THESE PARENTS OFTEN WONDER WHAT THE RELEVANCE OF THE 
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IS TO THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN. 
LIKEWISE, STUDENTS OF PARENTS SYMPATHETIC TO THE DPP ARE MORE 
LIKELY TO SIDE WITH THE EDUCATIONAL REFORMS. THESE REFORMS 
CAN BE PERCEIVED AS AN INDIGENIZATION OF THE TAIWANESE 
EDUCATION SYSTEM. INSTEAD OF SIMPLIFYING THE SYSTEM, AS 
INTENDED, STUDENTS ARE FINDING INCREASING AMOUNTS OF 
CURRICULUM TO STUDY AND MEMORIZE TO PREPARE FOR ENTRANCE 
EXAMINATIONS. THE RULING PARTY HAS AND WILL CONTINUE TO 
INFLUENCE THE REVISION PROCESS OF TEXTBOOKS TO INFLUENCE 
FUTURE VOTERS AND YOUNG CITIZENS. THIS LACK OF STABILITY 
MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR TAIWANESE YOUTH TO FIND DIRECTION AND 
PREDICTABILITY THROUGH EDUCATION, AS IT APPEARS TO BE VAGUELY 
DEFINED AND IN A STATE OF CONSTANT REVISION. 
 
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MINISTER TU AND EDUCATIONAL REFORM 
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6.  (C) THE POSITION OF MINISTER OF EDUCATION IN TAIWAN 
ATTRACTS A VAST AMOUNT OF PRESSURE FROM ALL SIDES OF TAIWAN 
SOCIETY. THE REFORMS FOR WHICH MINISTER TU IS CURRENTLY BEING 
CRITICIZED WERE FIRST INTRODUCED BY THE CHEN ADMINISTRATION'S 
FIRST MINISTER OF EDUCATION, OVID TZENG. HOWEVER, MANY OF THE 
POLICIES WERE NOT FULLY OR EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENTED AND NEED 
TO BE RESOLVED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO SALVAGE THE FUTURE OF 
TAIWANESE EDUCATION.  TU HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF BEING A BAD 
ADMINISTRATOR, FOR MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON POLITICS RATHER 
THAN EDUCATIONAL PRIORITIES, AND FOR "OVER-INDIGENIZING" THE 
CURRICULUM.  THE CRITICISM COMES FROM ALL CORNERS: PEOPLE 
WITH RECENT CHINESE ANCESTRY OPPOSE TU FOR INTRODUCING TOO 
MUCH LOCALIZATION TO THE CURRICULUM, WHILE THOSE OF LOCAL 
DESCENT EQUALLY COMPLAIN THAT HE HAS BROADENED AND THEREFORE 
COMPLICATED THE CURRICULUM.  EVERYONE SEEMS UNHAPPY WITH THE 
STATE OF CONSTANT FLUX AND UNPREDICTABILITY. 
 
7. (C) COMMENT: LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IN TAIWAN, THE ISSUE OF 
REFORM OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM HAS BECOME HIGHLY 
POLITICIZED.  WHILE MINISTER TU IS INARGUABLY A CONTROVERSIAL 
MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND HAS CLEARLY NOT MANAGED THE REFORM 
PROCESS TO EVERYONE'S SATISFACTION, THE FACT IS THAT HIS IS A 
PORTFOLIO THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF MUCH CRITICISM. 
 WHILE MANY OF TU'S PREDECESSOR'S WERE PREMATURELY REMOVED 
FROM THEIR POSITIONS, TU MAINTAINS STRONG SUPPORT FROM HIS 
PARTY AND THERE IS NO SERIOUS TALK OF HIS REMOVAL. THE 
CONTROVERSIES SURROUNDING HIM AND EDUCATION REFORM IN TAIWAN 
MAY BE TAKEN AS A COMMENT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION IN 
THIS SOCIETY AND THE PUBLIC'S RECOGNITION THAT SOMETHING MUST 
BE DONE.  END COMMENT. 
PAAL