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From elitism to mass higher education in Taiwan: The problems faced

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Abstract

The transition from an elitisthigher education system to mass education hascreated a number of concerns in this sector.Among these are fears for the quality of theprovision; the rise in the unemployment rate ofgraduate university leavers; and the increasedfinancial burden on the government.

This paper examines the transition periodover the last fifty years in Taiwan, in orderto promote an understanding of the problemscurrently being faced, and to give an insightinto the political and cultural background inwhich they have arisen. The USA and Japan arecompared, as these countries are seen to beadvanced in the provision of mass education.The paper has three main objectives. Firstly todetermine whether or not Taiwan can be said tohave developed a mass higher education systemby international comparison. Secondly, todetermine which factors have influencedgovernment policy to achieve mass highereducation, and thirdly to identify the problemswhich remains as barriers to the success ofthis system.

Conclusions are drawn relating to the aboveobjectives and it is noted that similarproblems to those experiences by Westerncountries can be identified.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, Ho Ping E. Rd., Sec 1, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.

    Ru-jer Wang

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  1. Ru-jer Wang
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Wang, Rj. From elitism to mass higher education in Taiwan: The problems faced. Higher Education 46, 261–287 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025320312531

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