Educational Reform and Current Directives

As introduced by the Taiwan Yearbook 2006:

Calls for sweeping reform of the educational system have become vocal in the recent decade. In July 1994, the Seventh National Education Conference noted the need for diversified cultural development and improved education. In late 1994, the cabinet-level Commission on Educational Reform (CER) was created and made responsible for analyzing the problems of the education system and suggesting reforms.

The CER's educational reform plan was approved in 1998. Important goals of the reform plan implemented between 1998 and 2003 included: strengthening national (compulsory) education; improving teacher education and the in-service education system; raising standards for higher education; promoting lifelong education; supporting education for the handicapped; invigorating education for indigenous students; opening alternative channels for promotion at different levels of schooling; and allocating more of the education budget to encourage educational research and related studies.

In September 2003, the National Education Development Conference decided on three main themes as the foci for discussion. The first was improving educational opportunities for disadvantaged groups so as to secure social equity and justice. The second was enhancing the effectiveness and quality of higher education so as to improve national competitiveness. The third centered on the fundamentals of national education and the phased implementation of 12-year national education. The dozens of conclusions reached and suggestions made at the conference have become an important reference for planning future education policy in Taiwan.

The past few years have seen significant improvements in Taiwan's educational system. For example, the Joint Public Senior High School Entrance Examination and JUEE have been abolished and replaced by new multi-channel admission systems. Class sizes have been reduced, and students have been offered a greater number of choices and more opportunities to choose elective classes. These developments have strengthened the education system by raising its standards even higher, which has been widely accepted as a key to national development.

Nongovernmental reform efforts are also underway. Two experimental private elementary schools, the Forest School and the Seedling School (called the Caterpillar School in the first six months after its establishment), have both been established with small class sizes and a curriculum that stresses creativity, personal growth, dignity, independent thinking, and harmony with nature. Civic reform groups have also called on the government to make it easier to establish private educational institutions below the university level.

While reform continues, the MOE has been promoting a four-year program for educational development since 2004 to accommodate new developments in society. Under the program, educational policies will be formulated in accordance with four directives: cultivating modern citizens, promoting national identity, fostering global perspectives, and increasing concern for society. Actions will be taken to encourage students to appreciate cultural diversity, expand students' knowledge about Taiwan's unique traits, increase their opportunities for interaction with students from abroad, and strengthen their character.