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Taiwan’s Higher Education System in Context

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Abstract

This chapter reviews Taiwan’s social, economic and political development with a particular focus on their impacts on higher education. This review provides an informative context for the following analysis of the four dimensions of university rankings in relation to Taiwan’s higher education policies and reforms. It particularly sketches the quest for building world-class universities and the many related governance responses since the 1990s.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Before democratisation in the late 1980s, the authoritarian and uninterrupted KMT rule was based on a constitution and political system that was devised before 1949 and the claim that the ROC government was the government of the whole of China (Tsang 2007).

  2. 2.

    Both mainlanders and native Taiwanese are Han Chinese. Mainlanders account for 14 % of the total population, with the remainder consisting of nine major indigenous peoples.

  3. 3.

    Taiwan was conquered by the Portuguese, the Spanish, imperial China and Japan in the past 400 years.

  4. 4.

    It is also known as Comprehensive University System of Taiwan (CUST).

  5. 5.

    They are (1) Northern Taiwan Teaching and Learning Resource Centre, consisting of Soochow University as the core institution and 16 partner institutions; (2) Second Northern Taiwan Teaching Resource Centre (N2), consisting of National Taiwan University as the core institution and 12 partner institutions; (3) Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli Teaching Resource Centre, consisting of National Central University as the core institution and 11 partner institutions; (4) Central Taiwan Teaching and Learning Resource Centre, consisting of Feng Chia University as the core institution and 12 partner institutions; (5) Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan Teaching Resource Centre, consisting of National Cheng Kung University as the core institution and 12 partner institutions; (6) Kaohsiung and Pingtung (KKP) Resource Centre for Teaching and Learning, consisting of National Sun Yat-Sen University as the core institution and 6 partner institutions.

  6. 6.

    The program was originally named the Program for Aiming for First-class University and Top Research Centre. It was also known as the “five-year-fifty-billion” program.

  7. 7.

    They are: (1) National Cheng Kung University, (2) National Taiwan University, (3) National Tsing Hua University, (4) National Chiao Tung University, (5) National Central University, (6) National Sun Yat-sen University, (7) National Chung Hsing University, (8) National Yang Ming University, (9) National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, (10) National Chengchi University, (11) Chang Gung University and (12) Yuan Ze University.

  8. 8.

    National Taiwan University was ranked 95 in 2009 THES-QS WUR.

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  1. The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China

    William Yat Wai Lo

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Lo, W. (2014). Taiwan’s Higher Education System in Context. In: University Rankings. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-35-1_2

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