Even the Best Policies Must be Properly Implemented

Even the Best Policies Must be Properly Implemented
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
September 9, 2011

Summary: Vision Magazine has just published the results of its latest county chiefs and city mayors job satisfaction survey. Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin's ranking fell since the previous survey. He now ranks third from last. The mayors of Xinbei City and Keelung City are also bringing up the rear. The Green Camp has blasted Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keelung City, calling them Taiwan's underachievers. But paradoxically the same survey shows Taipei City in first place in "economics and employment, environmental protection, transportation, health care, and government fiscal resources." Xinbei City is in second place. Competition between cities is intense, Public satisfaction however, is extremely low. What's going on here? The Taipei City government's own take is that the opinion polls were conducted while the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination controversy was raging. The negative public reaction led to these poll results.

Full Text below:

Vision Magazine has just published the results of its latest county chiefs and city mayors job satisfaction survey. Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin's ranking fell since the previous survey. He now ranks third from last. The mayors of Xinbei City and Keelung City are also bringing up the rear. The Green Camp has blasted Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keelung City, calling them Taiwan's underachievers. But paradoxically the same survey shows Taipei City in first place in "economics and employment, environmental protection, transportation, health care, and government fiscal resources." Xinbei City is in second place. Competition between cities is intense, Public satisfaction however, is extremely low. What's going on here? The Taipei City government's own take is that the opinion polls were conducted while the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination controversy was raging. The negative public reaction led to these poll results.

The Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination has become an insoluble nighmare for Taipei City and Xinbei City. But closer examination reveals that this Single Guideline, Single Text educational policy was well-intended. It tried to alleviate the burden on students and parents imposed by the Single Guideline, Multiple Texts policy. The Single Guideline, Single Text policy was supported by most county and municipal leaders. The Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination adopted the Single Guideline, Single Text approach. It conserved Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keelung City educational resources. Past joint examinations on Taiwan used a regionally based joint examination approach. When Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keelung City adopted something other than the nationally based Basic Competency Tests approach, it was nothing new, Candidates and parents accepted it without complaint.

But in 2011 the first Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination was held. Controversy erupted over "high scores, low achievement" and "increased admissions." Students and parents complained. A backlash developed. When the controversy first erupted, Taipei City insisted it would continue using the Single Guideline, Single Text approach during the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination. But the opposition was too intense, The Ministry of Education explicity called for a halt to the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination, and a return to the nationally based Basic Competency Tests.

But problems have arisen. Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keelung City have nearly 100,000 students under the Single Guideline, Single Text policy. Other cities and counties have students under the Single Guideline, Multiple Texts policy. Many Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keeling City students and their parents are worried. Next year's Basic Competency Tests are only a few months away. Students in Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keelung City have read only one text. How will they compete against students who have read multiple texts, and who are taking the nationally based Basic Competency Tests? In order to reassure concerned parents, Taipei City held briefings. Mayor Hau Lung-bin and educational authorities personally briefed junior high school teachers and parents. Other counties and municipalities talk about the Single Guideline, Multiple Texts approach. But in reality most of them have settled on a single text. Students in Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keelung City need not worry that other students are reading multiple texts, while they are reading only one text. The nationally based Basic Competency Tests have been held for many years. In principle, they test the guidelines, not the texts. In other words, regardless of which version candidates are using, they can participate in the Basic Competency Tests.

Taipei City and educational authorities have issued repeated assurances. They hope students and parents will not worry excessively. But Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keelung City did exceed their brief. Officials may issue assurances. But the results remain to be seen. Taipei City took the lead in adopting the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examination. Sad to say, Taipei City is already a casualty, The examination and distribution system experienced technical difficulties. It is now uncertain whether they will continue using the Single Guideline, Single Text approach. Apparently everything is up for grabs. Suppose one day, even the Single Guideline, Single Text policy is set aside. Everything returns to where it was years ago, Local government leaders' political prestige will not be the only thing to take a hit. The hard-won educational policies achieved over the years will collapse, Each year hundreds of thousands of students in Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keelung City will be affected. Their educational system will face dramatic change. Educational policy has a significant long term impact on students, parents, and educational institutions that must not be overlooked. Before any policy is implemented, it must be carefully tested for leaks. Clearly Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keelung City failed to do so on behalf of the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examinations.

Let this experience be a reminder to those in power. One's policies may be well-intentioned, But if they are not implemented properly, the public will not understand or support them. Once the government loses the public trust, remedial measures will be perceived as ad-libbing, as evidence of insufficient long-term planning, The government will naturally find it hard to regain the public trust .

Parents of students taking examinations have concerns and sensitivities that exceed many politician's expectations. This incident proves they must not be ignored. It matters not whether we are talking about Taipei City, Xinbei City, and Keelung City. Twelve year national compulsory education will be officially implemented in 2012 and December 2013. How will examinations be held in 2014? How will school admissions be administered? How will Basic Competency Tests, school performance, Educational Examinations, written tests and skill tests be administered? Who will be exempt from testing? How will applications be processed? How will special talents be determined? Many parents and students are still confused. Central and local government educational authorities must take time to explain. They must not allow a replay of the Taipei Xinbei Keelung Senior High School Joint Entrance Examinations fiasco.

政策立意再好也必須妥善執行
2011-09-09 中國時報

《遠見雜誌》最新發布的縣市長滿意度調查顯示，台北市市長郝龍斌排名較前次調查退步，落居倒數第三，而新北市和基隆市的滿意度也殿後，綠營批評「北北基生活圈」已成為台灣後段班。然而，弔詭的卻是，在同一份調查中，台北市卻又拿下「經濟與就業、環保、交通、醫療衛生、政府財源」這五項指標的第一名，新北市也高居第二名；城市競爭力高，民眾滿意度奇低，這到底是怎麼一回事？北市自己的解釋是因為民調的時間點剛好是在「北北基聯測爭議期」，民眾觀感不佳，造成民調大跌。

北北基聯測似乎已成了雙北揮之難去的夢魘，但細究起來，這項從「一綱一本」開始的教育政策其實是本於善念出發的。當初之所以這麼做，為的是減輕學生「一綱多本」的壓力和家長的負擔，推動「一綱一本」教學，此舉並得到多個縣市的認同，之後進一步推動基於一綱一本的北北基聯測，從某個角度來說，這麼做也是保護和保障北北基學生的教學資源。過往台灣舉行聯考之初，曾經歷過分區聯招的做法，因此北北基舉行有別於全國基測的區域聯測，並非創舉，考生和家長也都還能接受。

然而，二○一一年北北基第一次聯測後，卻發生諸如「高分低就」、「增額錄取」等爭議，引起考生與家長的抱怨、甚至反彈。儘管事件剛發生時，台北市仍堅持明年會繼續就一綱一本舉辦北北基的聯測，然因反對聲浪過大，教育部已於日前明確要求北北基聯測停辦，回歸全國基測。

但是，問題來了，北北基近十萬名學生讀的是一綱中的「一本」，其他縣市的學生讀的是一綱「多本」，許多北北基的考生和家長不禁擔心，距離明年基測就只有幾個月的時間了，只讀一本的北北基學生要怎麼拚讀多本的全國考生？為了讓關心教育和考試的家長安心，台北市舉辦了說明會，市長郝龍斌和教育主管機關親自跟國中老師和家長解釋，其實其他縣市雖然講是講一綱多本，但大部分也都是選擇一本；而北北基學生不用擔心「別人多本、自己卻只有一本」的另一個理由是，全國基測考試已經實施了多年，命題原則是考綱不考本，也就是說，不論考生用的是哪一個版本，都可以參加基測考試。

然而，即使台北市和教育主管一再保證，希望家長及考生不用太擔心，不過，畢竟今年的北北基的確就是出了包，官方保證效果如何，實在有待觀察。令人唏噓的是，不但由台北市帶頭的北北基聯測已經陣亡，由於考試與分發技術出了問題，現在甚至於連要不要繼續實施一綱一本，似乎都已經出現了很大的討論空間，如果有一天，連一綱一本也作廢了，一切又回到多年前的原點，那就不只是地方首長的政治聲望受到打擊、堅持多年爭取的新教育政策瓦解，每年北北基的十萬考生的學習方式和教育生態也將面臨改變。教育政策有長期效果，對學生與家長、教育機構的權益會造成重大影響，輕忽不得，任何政策在實施之前都必須詳考再三，務必做到「滴水不漏」，但顯然這次北北基聯測做的還不夠到位。

這個經驗也提醒了執政者，即使在基本面上立意良善的政策，若在技術面上出現疏失，可能也就得不到民眾的體諒與支持，一旦政府失去人民的信任，而後不論提出什麼樣的補救措施，往往被認為是臨時起意，缺乏長遠規畫，當然也就不容易贏得信任。

這個事件顯示，台灣家長對學生考試、入學的關注與敏感程度可能超過許多為政者的預期，實在不可輕忽。不論是北北基還是非北北基，一○一年和一○二年十二年國教正式實施前和一○三年實施後要怎麼考，有什麼入學方式，「基測」和「在校成績」、「教育會考」和「學科、術科測驗」到底如何進行，「免試」、「申請」和「特色」招生，等等，錯綜複雜，很多家長和學生仍一頭霧水─拜託中央及地方教育主管當局務必不厭其煩，說清楚、講明白，不要讓「北北基大亂鬥」再出現了。