by Kevin Lee
Since it is clear that higher tuition for college/university education in Taiwan is on the way, different views have been voiced. Earlier, the President of National Taiwan University made his opinion clear that NTU students should have to pay more for their education. However, this is by no means a pleasant announcement for people who are either facing pressure from the corporate world to downsize, or still dependent on a student loan. By looking at different sides of this issue, we will be more likely to have a better understanding and a less-biased stance. As pointed out by the President, last year when students from low-income families became eligible to apply for student aid, only about a dozen students applied. According to this way of thinking, a fairly large percentage of NTU students enjoy a higher socio-economic status, and thus the tuition should be higher at NTU to narrow the gap between its privileged students and those in other universities who are from more modest backgrounds. Raising the tuition fees, in other words, is a way to balance the fact that NTU is more subsidized by the government and that NTU students are less likely to find such a raise upsetting given how much money their parents make. But as the need to raise tuition is under discussion, the solution is never as easy as “The rich pay more while the poor pay less.” According to the statistics given by the Ministry of Education, the average tuition for higher education in Taiwan is around 49000NTD/year while public colleges/universities in the US are charging about 130000NTD to 17ooooNTD/year. Reading this, you might think the tuition in Taiwan is rather inexpensive and be ready to brace for higher tuition fees here. However, several European nations only ask for a minimum amount or do not require any tuition fees at all. Besides, the quality of education in each country is a crucial determining factor for judging whether or not its tuition fees are reasonable. In Taiwan, it is obvious that the government favors public schools, considering the overall allocation of financial support and the benefits that teaching professionals are guaranteed. By contrast, private schools receive fewer subsidies and except for donations, their major means of financial support is the fees their students pay. In this sense, it is clear that private colleges/universities in Taiwan will be incapable of providing education of the same, if not higher, quality as their public counterparts. Raising the tuition at NTU or any other public school might seem to ease this discrepancy, but what remains unchanged is the disparity between the quality of education provided by schools of either system. Of course no one is willing to pay more for less. But when it comes to education in Taiwan, the choices are not entirely voluntary. In most cases, your grades are your only qualification. It is not like in the US or in other countries where students are free to apply to any school, and where decisions are not made merely on the basis of academic performance. In other countries it is also a compromise between how much a family can afford and how students might support themselves. In Taiwan, it is sad that families of modest income often fail to send their children to more prestigious schools. Does raising the tuition really help with the deep-rooted educational issues in Taiwan? The answer seems self-evident. Personally I am not for or against raising tuition fees, but I am sure that officials should realize that for every decision or policy made, supporting measures must be thought of as well. Raising the tuition at NTU is simply a one-sided effort that tries to right a wrong that has existed for many years. Students from less-privileged backgrounds in private schools do not really benefit from a rise in prices for public schools. And society does not become more fair just because public schools start charging more for their tuition from now on. Rather, scholarships or student aid of wider availability might help much more, and the terms of student loans can be modified to benefit more those who are in need. On the whole, education is such an important issue concerning people from all walks of life; any quick fix will not bring about an overnight improvement. Only by coping with the problem from various perspectives is it possible for us to come up with a solution that satisfies everyone. a
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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