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By Chen Yi-ching, Lee Yu-hsin and Stacy
Hsu / Staff reporters, with staff writer Thu, Mar 14, 2013 - Page 3 Opposition lawmakers and academics
on Tuesday voiced concerns over the Ministry of Education’s decision to
increase the number of People’s Republic of China (PRC) universities
accredited in Taiwan, saying the move underscored China’s effort to encroach
on the nation through cultural and educational means. The ministry announced the new plan
at about 6pm on Tuesday, several hours before the University Entrance
Committee for Mainland Chinese Students was scheduled to release yesterday
morning postgraduate and doctoral admission brochures for Chinese students
hoping to study in Taiwan in the coming academic year. Under the new plan, the number of
Chinese universities accredited in Taiwan will be expanded from the current
41 institutions, most of which are included in China’s “Project 985,” to 111
schools covered by China’s “Project 211.” Chinese students who entered the
additional 70 schools after Sept. 3, 2010, would qualify to study in Taiwan. “Project 985” is an educational scheme
announced in 1998 by then-Chinese president Jiang Zemin
(江澤民) that aims to facilitate the development of selected
Chinese colleges, while “Project 211” was initiated in 1995 to strengthen
about 100 colleges. The new plan will exclude Chinese
universities specializing in military, medicine and public security and will
retain a restriction that allows only students who hold a household
registration in China’s six coastal provinces — including Beijing, Shanghai,
Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong — to pursue education in Taiwan. It will also adhere to the “three
limits, six noes” (三限六不) policy imposed on
Chinese students studying in Taiwan to protect local students’ educational and job opportunities. Under the “three limits, six noes”
policy, acceptance is limited to Chinese students from prestigious Chinese
schools, the number of Chinese students is restricted to 0.1 percent of total
domestic student recruitment and Chinese students are barred from courses in
pharmacy, Chinese and Western medicine, high-tech fields and national
security. The “six noes” refer to no
preferential grading on entrance exams, no effect on
student enrollment opportunities for Taiwanese students, no scholarships, no
off-campus work and no taking of tests for Taiwanese professional
certificates or civil servant examinations. Deputy Minister of Education Huang
Pi-twan (黃碧端) lauded the new plan,
saying it would attract more outstanding Chinese students and help address
issues regarding the educational rights of Chinese spouses of Taiwanese or
children of China-based Taiwanese businesspeople. However, the new policy prompted
criticism from opposition lawmakers and academics, as well as concerns about
China’s growing incursion into Taiwan. Democratic Progressive Party
Legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the timing of the
announcement of the new plan showed Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧)
was attempting to evade legislative scrutiny. “Chiang’s move to announce the new
policy, along with another one late last month that allows Chinese students
to enroll at two-year colleges, prior to lawmakers’ interpellations at
meetings of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee indicates that
the minister is purposely shunning legislative scrutiny,” Lin said. Saying that cross-strait exchanges
should be conducted without jeopardizing the interests and rights of
Taiwanese, Lin called on the ministry to make public all information
pertaining to the new policy and deliver a report to the Education and
Culture Committee. “If anything about the policy risks
putting Taiwanese students’ rights at stake, I will never be finished with
the ministry,” Lin said. Shih Cheng-feng (施正鋒), a political
commentator from National Tunghua University, said
China’s encroachment on the nation was like carbon
monoxide poisoning, both of which occurred without people knowing. “Because the concerted
effort between President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration and China [to bring Taiwan into its fold] by
military threats and economic benefits was to no avail, they will most likely
seek to reach their objective this time via cultural and educational
[exchanges],” Shih said. *《Taipei Times》2013/03/14。
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