Cross-Strait Talent Competition Means Taipei Must Let Mainland Students In

Cross-Strait Talent Competition Means Taipei Must Let Mainland Students In
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
March 25, 2011

The Mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office has announced that beginning this year, Mainland universities will recruit high school graduates from Taiwan without requiring them to take entrance exams. They will broaden their standards to include academic scores from Taiwan. According to estimates, 30,000 or more students on Taiwan will become eligible. Beijing University, Beijing Tsinghua University, Fudan University, and other prestigious Mainland universities will be among the 205 universities listed. Students may apply for admission without entrance exams. Those passing a live interview will be admitted and enrolled.

There is no denying that expanded Mainland recruitment of students from Taiwan will impact university education on Taiwan. The reason is simple. The Mainland is on the rise. Its annual growth rate exceeds eight or nine percent. Well-known universities the world over have all added "understanding of China" to their curriculum. The Mainland is vast. Although its universities are of mixed quality, many of them are famous and historic universities that rank among the world's finest. They have attracted considerable attention. The two sides have the same roots. Culture and language pose no barriers. Attending university there is relatively easy. For students from Taiwan, studying on the Mainland holds considerable appeal.

In addition, the Mainland market has great potential. Cross-Strait exchanges are increasingly close. For Taiwan, the Mainland has become an indispensable partner in economic and trade development. Students from Taiwan studying on the Mainland, can choose to stay on the Mainland or to return to Taiwan for future employment. They enjoy options. From the perspective of workplace diversity, studying on Mainland China also allows students to establish contacts for the future. Of course, another factor cannot be ignored. Tuition and fees for students studying on the Mainland are much lower than for students studying in Europe and the US.

In fact, in recent years more and more students from Taiwan are studying on the Mainland. Over 40% of the children of businessmen from Taiwan on the Mainland, are choosing to stay on the Mainland to study. Last year, for the first time, the Mainland admitted the top 12% of students from Taiwan, based on academic grades, into Mainland universities without requiring entrance exams. Eighty-three high school graduates were admitted to 37 Mainland universities. This year the Mainland has broadened its standards to include the top 25% of all students from Taiwwan. Any student able to gain admission to Fu Jen Catholic University may apply. As one can imagine, the number of students applying for admission to Mainland universities this year has exploded.

So what should the government do? This is more than a competition between schools. This is a competition for human resources. These young people will attend university. After completing their studies, they will become the vanguard of the labor market, They will also become the main force behind the nation's development. The probability of a brain drain has increased. At the same time, we lack the courage to open ourselves up. The Mainland has opened itself up to students from Taiwan, virtually without limits. Taiwan, on the other hand, persists in tying Mainland students hand and foot. We deny them scholarships. We deny them extra credits. We deny them the right to moonlight. We deny them professional certification after graduation. We deny them the opportunity to seek work on Taiwan. Superficially, these restrictions protect the interests of students on Taiwan. In fact they merely limit the possibilities for students from the Mainland. In other words, no matter how good universities on Taiwan might be, the incentive for outstanding students from the mainland to apply will be limited. The result can be imagined. The two sides are competing for outstanding university students. The numbers will rise and fall. The competitiveness of universities on Taiwan is certain to fall. Once it does, a vicious will begin, and they will find it increasingly difficult to attract the best students.

This is not merely a cross-Strait competition for talent. This is a global competition for talent. The Mainland has picked up its pace. Taiwan meanwhile, is spinning its wheels. The Ministry of Education boasts that "The quality of universities on Taiwan is better than those on the Mainland." "We recognize only 41 universites on the Mainland." "The two sides have a tacit understanding to recruit no more than 2000 students." Such whistling in the dark will not reverse our fortunes. Can superior private universities on Taiwan ignore competition from Beijing University, Tsinghua University, and Fudan University? Students from Taiwan studying on Mainland China may attend schools not recognized by the Ministry of Education, But university attendance does not mark the end academic life. The government may refuse to recognize their diplomas. But Europe and the United States will. After graduating from universities on the Mainland, students may seek advanced degrees in Europe or the US. They may or may not return to Taiwan to work or conduct research. Their academic credentials will not be an issue. Far more worrisome is the Ministry of Education's negativity. These outstanding young people may choose never to return. Doesn't that constitute a far greater loss to the nation? Forget the fact that the Ministry of Education lacks the wherewithal to verify whether the Mainland has admitted only 2000 students from Taiwan.

Time waits for no man. The Mainland is undergoing vigorous development. It is not about to wait for Taiwan to catch up. In the face of competition, the government must accelerate our opening up. We must adopt international standards. The Obama administration has decided to send 100,000 students a year to Mainland China. Hong Kong and Singapore are offering generous scholarships to Mainland students. Taipei's policy regarding Mainland students is in clear defiance of gobal trends. This highlights the serious lack of self-confidence on Taiwan.

We live in an era of global competition. National competitiveness is tied to individual competitiveness. The Mainland is rapidly catching up in all areas. It is displaying powerful ambitions. It is liberalizing in one area after another. Even Europe and America must remain vigilant. They cannot afford to take matters lightly. If we constantly tie our own hands, it will negatively impact higher education. it will harm the development of human resources on Taiwan. The government must adopt a more inclusive posture. It must contemplate its own globalization and regional integration. It must contemplate even the Mainland's role as it too undergoes globalization. We were once proud of the "Taiwan experience." We did not impose limits on ourselves. In the face of competition, we must once again open ourselves to the world. We must once again pick up the pace.

兩岸人才競爭 台灣須速開放陸生
2011-03-25 中國時報

大陸國台辦日前宣布，從今年開始，大陸大學免試招收台灣高中畢業生的標準，由學測的頂標級擴大至前標級。根據估算，台灣約有三萬多位學生符合申請資格，可向包括北京大學、北京清華大學及復旦大學等大陸頂尖名校在內的二百零五所大學，提出免試入學申請，經面試合格者，就可錄取就讀。

無可諱言，大陸擴大對台招收大學生，勢必對台灣的大學教育造成某種程度的衝擊。原因很簡單，大陸正在崛起，每年ＧＤＰ成長率都在八、九％以上，全世界知名大學都將《認識中國》列為學習地圖，大陸幅員廣闊，盡管大學良莠不齊，但仍有不少知名且歷史悠久的大學在世界排名中，相當搶眼，遑論兩岸同根同源，不論在文化語言上都沒有溝通的障礙，就學相對容易，留學大陸，對台灣學子而言，確實有一定的吸引力。

此外，大陸市場潛力無窮，兩岸交流益發密切，大陸已經成為台灣經貿發展不可或缺的重要夥伴之一，台生赴大陸就學，未來可選擇留在大陸或返台就業，進可攻退可守；從職場多元化選擇的角度，赴大陸就學還可以累積未來的人脈資源。當然，還有一個不可忽視的因素：留學大陸的學雜費，遠比留學歐美來得便宜許多。

事實上，這幾年在大陸就學的台生愈來愈多，台商子弟選擇留在大陸繼續求學者已達四成以上；去年大陸第一次對台灣學測成績排前十二％的頂標生提供免試入學，就有八十三位高中畢業生，由卅七所大陸大學錄取。今年大陸擴大招收前廿五％的前標生，推估只要考取輔大以上的學生，都可以申請，可想而知，今年申請免試進入大陸大學的人數必然暴增。

那麼台灣該怎麼辦呢？要知道，這已經不只是兩岸學校間的競爭，而是兩岸的人才競爭，這些就讀大學的年輕人，在完成學業後，都是就業市場的尖兵，也是國家社會發展的主力，我們的人才外流機率升高，又缺乏膽識大幅開放，對比大陸不設限的開放台生免試赴陸就學，台灣到現在對陸生的態度依舊綁手綁腳，不給獎學金、不加分、不能打工，畢業後不能考職業證照、不能在台工作…，種種限制表面上是維護台灣學生的權益，實際上則是限縮陸生來台的機會，換言之，就算台灣大學再頂尖，恐怕都缺乏充足的誘因，來吸引大陸優秀學子。想像得到，當兩岸大學因為優秀學生的消長，台灣的大學勢將陷入競爭力滑落，也愈難吸引優秀學生的惡性循環。

更重要的，這還不只是一場兩岸人才競爭，而是全球人才競爭，大陸加速開跑，台灣卻原地打轉，教育部好整以暇地說，「台灣大學素質比大陸好」、「我們只承認對岸四十一所大學」、「雙方有默契各招收不超過二千名學生」云云，都不足以扭轉形勢。台灣辦學優良的私校對上北大、清華、復旦的競爭，能不憂心嗎？赴大陸就學的台生，就算就讀的學校非教育部所認定，但大學不是人生求學的終點站，台灣不承認其學歷，歐美國家承認，讀完大陸大學再赴歐美取得更高學位，不論未來返台工作或考證照，就沒有承認學歷的問題，更讓人擔心的是，如果因為教育部的消極作為，這些優秀的年輕人索性不回台，國家的損失豈不更大？更甭提教育部哪來的能力查核對岸到底是否招收超過二千名學生！

時間不等人，大陸蓬勃發展的同時，更不會停下腳步等台灣。面對競爭，台灣只能加速開放，與國際接軌，美國歐巴馬政府都決定每年送出十萬名學生赴大陸學習，香港、新加坡則以豐厚優渥的獎學金爭取陸生，台灣的陸生政策顯然違反這股世界潮流，更嚴重凸顯台灣信心不足的問題。

這是一個全球競爭的時代，國家競爭力正繫於人才競爭力，大陸各方面發展都急起直追，展現旺盛的企圖心，開放措施一個接著一個，連歐美國家都嚴陣以待，不敢輕忽，我們若始終自縛手腳，對高等教育必然有負面影響，對國家人才培育更為不利。台灣應該放大格局，思考自己在全球化、區域整合，乃至大陸與世界接軌的過程中，能扮演什麼角色。我們曾經引以為傲的「台灣經驗」，從來不是自我限縮的，面對競爭，只能開放再開放，加速再加速。