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How Taiwan Education Pursues Equity in Excellence

Explore Taiwan's education system, its paradoxes, social challenges, and the reforms implemented to achieve equity in excellence. Discover the four core values and the emphasis on inclusivity in higher education.

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How Taiwan Education Pursues Equity in Excellence

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  1. How Taiwan Education Pursues Equity in Excellence Chuing Prudence Chou (周祝瑛) National Chengchi University (NCCU),Taiwan NIE & HEAD, Singapore, May 10-12, 2016

  2. Outline 1. Taiwan’s Paradoxes 2. Social Challenges and Context 3. Basic Educational Structure 4. Education Reform for Equity in Excellence 5. Four core values, one special emphasis 6. K-12 and Higher Education 7. Challenges . .

  3. INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD, PISA, TIMSS • ALWAYS HAVE GOOD RECORDS • BUTDISCRAPANCY BETWEEN STUDENTS BASED ON REGION, SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND FAMILY SES CONTINUES TO PLAY A MAIN ROLE IN EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT

  4. ICT Coverage Rate and Education • 63.80% of Taiwanese are frequent uses of internet in 2013. • 100 % of schools and governments have internet access. • All the 24-hour chain stores have Wi Fi access nation-wide • Within top 10 in the world according to WEF/NRI Ranking agencies

  5. 低頭族Mobile phone over-user, Smartphone Addicts

  6. Taiwan’s Paradoxes • Exemplar • High-performing education system. • Pupil performance ranks highly (PISA, TIMSS, IMSO, etc.) • Warning • Pressure from exam-based system. • ‘Shadow’ education/cramming. • Gang violence, drug abuse, bullying and indiscipline on the increase. • Pupils show no interest in exploring science or outside reading. • Increasingly institutionalised social inequality.

  7. Social Challenges and Context • Birthrate decline. • dropped, from 410,000 newborn babies in 1981, 270,000 in 1998, 191,000 in 2009, to 210,830 in 2014 • Ageing society/workforce imbalance. • Rapid transition to globally-focussed economy. • Internet addiction/online subculture. • Increasing marginalisation of disadvantaged groups (poor, single-parent, ethnic minority, etc.) • Increasing disengagement by teenagers from society. • International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS). • Problems of national identity • What/who is ‘Taiwanese’? • The Cross-Straits Question.

  8. Basic Structure of Education in Taiwan • Elementary – 6 years (Compulsory). • Junior High School – 3 years (Compulsory, non-selective from 1968). • Senior High School – 3 years (as basic education from 2014). • University/college – 4 years (Non-compulsory, selective).

  9. Education Reform for Equity in Excellence • Transition from authoritarian, centralised model to democratic, market-driven one. • Highly-competitive, elite-access model to widened, more universal mass-access one. • Academic excellence as sole criteria replaced by more contextual criteria. • Broadened and diversified admissions channels. • Facilitated by rapid expansion of private education (particularly HEIs).

  10. Reform Principles • Master Plan for Education Reform Report • 1) deregulating governmental control over education, • 2) exempting education sectors from unrelated regulation and constraints, • 3) protecting students basic learning rights, • Education Basic Law (1999) • Minorities • Female education rights • 4) respecting parental right of choice on education patterns and paths for their children, • 5) guaranteeing teachers' professional autonomy and quality.

  11. Equity agenda • Minorities • Aboriginal education funding guaranteed • Education Act for Indigenous Peoples (2004) • Aboriginal Education Law (2013) • Low Socio-Economic Status (SES) • Foreign spouses/children • Immigrants. • Female education rights • Cabinet-level Commission on Women's Rights Promotion • Ministry of Education Gender Equality Education Committee

  12. Four core values, one special emphasis • Delicacy • Innovation • Justice • Sustainability • “Respect and Care for Diverse and Vulnerable Groups”

  13. Equity in Higher Education Expansion • Mass higher education hoped to open up new opportunities to traditionally disadvantaged groups. • Transition from elite preserve to mass education system. • Reflects global trend. • Opportunities created but access to resources and funding controlled by market forces. • Favouring wealthy/social capital-rich. • Expansion driven by growth in non-elite HEIs in private sector. • ‘Lower quality’ education. • Lower entry requirements. • Higher fees. • ‘Class reproduction.’

  14. Good intentions, incomplete results • The learning gap between rural and urban students still exists. • The distribution of educational resources remains uneven. • Excessive pressure remains to pass entrance exams for secondary schools and universities. • Public/Private, Elite/Non-elite gap still exists. • Disadvantage still exists,

  15. Inequality in accessing public resources • Funding mechanisms substantially changed • THEN - HEI budgets allocated by government equally. • NOW – HEI budgets mixed public/private funds. • Public funds vary with formalised assessment results. • Private funds largely from donations and tuition fees. • Funding substantially reduced. • overall budget allocated to public HEIs has declined • this deficit accounts for one third of the current funding shortfall • Expanded educational opportunities created at the bottom, not the top.

  16. Discussion • Conflict between equity and excellence is a global issue. • Equity conflicts with public thirst for elite status? • Widening participation risks ‘lowest common denominator’? • Can university admissions be objective and fair? • Can a publicly-accepted balance be struck between equity and excellence?

  17. Concluding remarks • Taiwan’s HEI enrolment rate is one of the world’s highest. • Constrained budgets led to market allocation of resources. • Sector expansion led by private institutions. • Disadvantaged groups made absolute gains but not relative ones. • ‘Class reproduction’ and lowered social mobility have resulted.

  18. Thank you.Questions and Comments: Chuing Prudence Chou (周祝瑛) National Chengchi University iaezcpc@gmail.com Website: www3.nccu.edu.tw/~iaezcpc/en/

  19. Chou’s Work… Chou, C. P.; Spangler, J. (eds.). (2016). Chinese Education Models in a Global Age. Singapore: Springer. Chou, C. P. (Ed) (2014). The SSCI Syndrome in Higher Education: A Local or Global Phenomenon. Netherland: Sense Publishers. Chou, C. P.; Ching, Gregory S. (2012). Taiwan Education at the Crossroad: When Globalization Meets Localization. International and Development Education. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 周祝瑛(2008)。台灣教育怎麼辦？臺北：心理。 周祝瑛(2003)。誰捉弄了台灣改？臺北：心理。

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