Taipei, Jan. 25 (CNA) Shouldering public blame for the failure of educational reform, Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh thinks the daunting task could still be accomplished, saying "I'm not giving up [on educational reform]" in an exclusive interview with CNA Wednesday.
As the convener of the Commission on Education Reform, established in 1994, Lee worked with commission members for two years before releasing the General Report on Education Reform in 1996. The Executive Yuan passed on the report's recommendations to the Ministry of Education (MOE) , which released its Education Reform Action Plan in 1998.
Ten years later, however, the reform is seen by many as a failure that has only increased study pressure on students. Lee apologized to the public in the legislature last year for "not living up to expectations the public had for me."
Lee does not regret his apology, but he also offered an explanation: "The MOE never said whether it agreed with the 'five directions' [of education reform] we laid out in the report... Is this education reform THE reform we wanted and pictured?"
Furthermore, he encouraged Taiwanese people to change their traditional attitude toward higher education -- a key factor in education reform, he said.
"Many years ago, college graduates totaled about five percent of the national population, which was why they were regarded as the elite class in society and why they had better jobs, " he said. "Someday, the percentage will reach 80 percent. And we will still need drivers, cooks and laborers in this world. Who is going to do these jobs?"
Lee urged the public to "respect all occupations" and expressed hope for a day when parents would let children do what they love to do and enjoy the most.
"When you're doing something you love, you are more likely to be successful," he said.
Confident about the "five directions" outlined in the report, Lee said: "I'm still not giving up on the final goal of education reform. We can still do it and make it right."