School dysentery is just the start
By Chuing Prudence
Chou 周祝瑛
Tuesday, Dec 04, 2007, Page 8
HUNDREDS of students from Taichung's Beitun Elementary School were recently infected with dysentery, which the Department of Health confirmed was the largest dysentery outbreak in 10 years. The health department found that the cause of the outbreak was a leak from the school's septic tank into the groundwater supply.
From this case, investigations revealed that due to geographic, economic and other factors, nearly 200 of the nation's 3,300 elementary and secondary schools do not have tap water. This apparently accidental incident stands in stark contrast to the recent assessment by the World Economic Forum that the quality of health and primary education of Taiwanese students has improved in the global rankings. Furthermore, it demonstrates that there is a severe lack of basic infrastructure at secondary and elementary schools and that the quality of their education is a cause for concern.
Although for many years Taiwan's education budget in proportion to GNP has been comparable to other developed countries. But due to the budget system, the sum allotted to various secondary and elementary schools has been minuscule.
First, there is the problem of the overall budgeting scheme. Taking the contamination of groundwater as an example -- although in past years, budgets devised by the national government have designated funds for improving water quality -- these funds have not necessarily been used for their specified purpose at the local level. This is mainly due to the fact that allocated funds have no specified purpose, or that the range of purposes are too flexible. Hence various local governments commandeer the funds for other uses.
Policy makers only emphasize that the educational funds in budgets drafted by various levels of government are calculated according to the Compilation and Administration of Educational Expenditures Act (教育經費編列與管理法), being, as stated in article three, "no less than 21.5 percent of the average net annual revenue over the three years previous to the budgeting year."
However, they disregard Article 5 of the Educational Fundamental Act (教育基本法), which states that, "Governments of all levels shall provide liberal budgets for education, ensure the expenditure is used for its specified purpose and practice the rational allocation and utilization of educational resources."
Many education professionals point out that current education policies have moved from the original ideal of diversification to being one dimensional, while subsidies have become dictatorial. As base level schools need funding, they can only cooperate with the policy without objection.
Second, education funding often becomes misappropriated, as in school lunches. The Ministry of Education has provided special funds for school lunches in response to the rising number of destitute families. However, in some areas the funds have been used to subsidize kitchen staff salaries or purchase equipment, resulting in tens of thousands of school children going without lunch.
Compared to other developed countries, the lack of available funds makes classroom conditions and hygiene standards unsatisfactory. Even the children's drinking water is problematic.
Many education policies emphasize formalities while lacking a complete set of curricular components and evaluation mechanisms.
For instance, years ago the government proposed a ban on corporal punishment in schools, but did not offer counseling for staff. Other cases included promoting technological education in classrooms with no electrical outlets, promoting digital education without computers and promoting language classes without the necessary resources. Currently Taiwan is filled with policy-driven teachers' workshops, which do more harm than good.
These repeated failures of investment show that the physical fitness, health, eyesight, character and even the learning motivation of this generation of children are declining annually.
Only academic pressure is on the rise. What did the educational reforms praised for raising the level of every child really change? Why are educational resources in Taiwan still dogged by problems of deficiency and inadequacy?
The current case of dysentery infection in Taichung is only the tip of the iceberg. If educational funding is not critically reviewed, similar problems will reoccur.
( Chuing Prudence Chou is a professor of education at National Chengchi University and the convener of the educational section of the Taiwan Competitiveness Forum.)
Translated by Angela Hong