“Facing the Challenge of the Nation’s 12- year-national Compulsory Education
英文編譯／劉思伶、許雅茹 英文審稿／賴潔妮
An Invitation for Dr. Wu, Chin-Chi to make a speech at CTU.
On March 12, 2014, the former minister of Education and chair professor Wu, Chin-Chi participated in the seminar entitled “Facing the Challenge of the Nation’s 12- year-national Compulsory Education A Reflection Seminar for Instructing the Type of Learning Model for General and Vocational High Schools”, which was hosted by CTU’s Chairman Wu, Lang-Chin and President Chen, Fun-Shin. During the seminar, professor Wu, Chin-Chi also gave a speech to more than sixty general and vocational high school principals in Central Taiwan, as well as CTU faculty members. He received a warm welcome from the audience. Dr. Wu, Chin-Chi indicated that one of the main intentions of our nation’s 12- year-national compulsory education program is encouraging students to remain for study in their own hometown. He illustrated many cases and said in the past many famous local entrepreneurs and government officials graduated from community high schools in their hometowns. He claimed that everyone can stand out and have a promising future if he or she works hard, regardless of whether he or she might have graduated from regional community high schools.
Dr. Wu, Chin-Chi once visited CTU during his term as Minister of Education in May 2011, and planted a five-leaf tree by the “spring of CTU” pathway. Now as time has gone by, this tree has grown gigantic and eye-catching and has become a vital spot at CTU. Many alumni like to take photos there when coming back. After retiring from his public duty, Dr. Wu, Chin-Chi accepted Chairman Wu, Lang-Chin’s invitation to be a lecture professor at CTU. In the afternoon of March 12, it was the first time when he came to CTU as the role of lecture professor at CTU, and he participated in the event “Facing the Challenge of the Nation’s 12- year-national Compulsory Education A Reflection Seminar for Instructing the Type of Learning Model for General and Vocational High Schools”. He was deeply touched upon seeing so many spectators who were general and vocational high school principals in the central region and who came to this event.
The former minister of Education Wu, Chin-Chi claimed that this was a major educational revolution for our nation when 12- year-national Compulsory Education was put into action. It will definitely impact the entire educational development and the future competence of our nation as well. He tried his level best to do the job well as the role of “Educational Volunteer”. He mentioned that the plan of 12- year-national Compulsory Education had undergone arrangement by the previous 13 ministers of Education, and has been practiced during his service. The bill for 12- year-national Compulsory Education has been proved; and a partial modification was done by both parties of legislators in the “Legislative Yuan”. Although this project didn’t reach the goal of overall free tuition for all the students, the major approach hasn’t changed much. He said that the features of the “12- Year-national Compulsory Education” ,including popularization, conditionally free tuition, voluntary enrollment, and examination- free entrance. The broad vision of this policy is to promote our nation’s educational quality, to foster each individual and to strengthen national competitiveness for the future. He further claimed that each child's intelligence is not the same, so there is no need to crush everyone into the famous high school. Dr. Wu brought up two instances: one is Wang Jianmin, the USA major league baseball pitcher; the other is the golf star Tseng, Yani who were cited as examples showing that they have made a remarkable achievement in their field although neither of them had attended a famous high school; and the contribution that they have made to the country is beyond imagination.
The former Minister of Education, Dr. Wu, even showed a successful businessperson, Terry Gou, the chairman of Hon Hai Science and Technology Cooperation, who has only received the degree from Chinese sea technological academy as an example. There is nothing wrong with staying and studying in one’s hometown, and there are no differences between studying at general or vocational high school. The balanced development of urban and rural life is one of the six objectives of “12- year-national Compulsory Education”.
Dr. Wu, Chin-Chi also confidently declared that since nine years of compulsory education had created the economic miracle of Taiwan, then “12- year-national Compulsory Education” would certainly enhance the quality of education for both the primary and middle schools of Taiwan. It not only bestows our culture in every child, but also strengthens the competitiveness of the country; which is worth looking forward to.
