Monday 9 July 2012

គ.ជ.ប.គ្រោងបង្កើតច្បាប់មិនឲ្យទណ្ឌិតមានសិទ្ធិឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោត

ដោយ វណ្ណ វិចារ

2012-07-08

គណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត (គ.ជ.ប.) គ្រោងស្នើសេចក្ដីព្រាងច្បាប់បន្ថែមទាក់ទងនឹងការឃោសនារបស់គណបក្សនយោបាយ ដើម្បីការពារកុំឲ្យមេគណបក្សដែលមានឈ្មោះជាទណ្ឌិត អាចមានឱកាសឃោសនានយោបាយបាន។

អគ្គលេខាធិការគណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត លោក ទេព នីថា នៅថ្ងៃទី០៧ ខែកក្កដា ឲ្យដឹងថា គ.ជ.ប. មានគម្រោងជំរុញការបង្កើតនីតិវិធីបន្ថែមទៀត ដើម្បីរារាំងមិនឲ្យមេដឹកនាំគណ បក្សនយោបាយដែលមានទោសមានសិទ្ធិ ឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោតអាណត្តិទី៥ នាពេលខាងមុខ។

លោកបន្តថា គ.ជ.ប. កំពុងតែសិក្សាពីនីតិវិធីមួយចំនួនស្ដីពីការឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោត និងរង់ចាំពេលវេលាបន្ថែមទៀត ក្នុងការសម្រេចសេចក្ដីព្រាងនេះ៖ «យើងស្ថិតនៅលើការពិនិត្យមើលលើមូល ដ្ឋានច្បាប់ដែលមានជាក់ស្ដែង រៀបចំនីតិវិធីនេះឲ្យស្របនឹងស្ថានភាពជាក់ស្ដែងក្នុងសង្គមកម្ពុជា»។

ទាក់ទងបញ្ហានេះអ្នកនយោបាយ និងសង្គមស៊ីវិលមួយចំនួននៅកម្ពុជា រិះគន់ថា គ.ជ.ប. មានគម្រោងបង្កើតច្បាប់នេះ ដើម្បីសម្លាប់ជីវិតអ្នកនយោបាយ ជាពិសេសសំដៅទៅលោក សម រង្ស៉ី តែម្តង ហើយទង្វើនេះធ្វើឡើងផ្ទុយនឹងឆន្ទៈប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ។

មន្ត្រីអ្នកនាំពាក្យគណបក្ស សម រង្ស៊ី លោក យឹម សុវណ្ណ មានប្រសាសន៍ថា ស្ថាប័ន គ.ជ.ប. មានគម្រោងបង្កើតនីតិវិធីបន្ថែម ដើម្បីផ្គាប់ចិត្តគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា ហើយច្បាប់ក្រោយនេះធ្វើឡើងដើម្បីប្រឆាំងប្រធានគណបក្ស សម រង្ស៉ី តែម្ដង។ លោកអះអាងថា ការបង្កើតច្បាប់ប្រឆាំងទណ្ឌិតមិនឲ្យធ្វើការឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោតនេះ នឹងមិនត្រូវបានអ្នកស្នេហាប្រជាធិបតេយ្យស្វាគមន៍ឡើយ។

លោក យឹម សុវណ្ណ បញ្ជាក់ថា បំណងកម្ចាត់លោក សម រង្ស៉ី ចេញពីឆាកនយោបាយ បង្ហាញថា គណបក្សកាន់អំណាចខ្លាចឥទ្ធិពលនយោបាយរបស់ប្រធានបក្សប្រឆាំង៖ «គ.ជ.ប. ត្រូវតែធ្វើការ ងារខ្លួនប្រកបដោយឯករាជភាពដើម្បីធានាថា ការមានសេរី និងយុត្តិធម៌ នេះជាទង្វើយ៉ាងច្បាស់បញ្ជាក់ថា គណបក្សប្រជាជនខ្លាច សម រង្ស៊ី លោកប្រធានកំពុងតែស្វះស្វែងរកឥទ្ធិពលការទូត ដើម្បីឲ្យត្រឡប់មកកម្ពុជាវិញ»។

ទន្ទឹមនឹងនេះដែរ ប្រធានគណបក្សសិទ្ធិមនុស្ស លោក កឹម សុខា មានប្រសាសន៍ថា ការបង្កើតច្បាប់នៅកម្ពុជា ប្រៀបដូចជាការកាត់ក្បាលតម្រូវមួក បានន័យថា គ.ជ.ប. ធ្វើច្បាប់នេះដើម្បីកម្ចាត់លោក សម រង្ស៊ី។

លោកកត់សម្គាល់ថា កន្លងមកមានមតិជាច្រើនចោទថា គ.ជ.ប. បម្រើគណបក្សកាន់អំណាចតែមិនទាន់មានភស្តុតាងច្បាស់ ប៉ុន្តែទង្វើបង្កើតច្បាប់នេះពិតជាការបង្ហាញឲ្យឃើញច្បាស់ថា គ.ជ.ប. ធ្វើការបម្រើឲ្យគណបក្សប្រជាជនប្រាកដមែន៖ «ជារឿងមួយ អាម៉ាស់របស់ គ.ជ.ប. និងបក្សកាន់អំណាចឈ្នះប៉ុណ្ណឹង ហើយក៏នៅតែតាមផ្ដន្ទាគេទៀត។ ជារឿងនយោបាយសុទ្ធសាធករណីលោក សម រង្ស៉ី»។

លោក កឹម សុខា បន្តថា គណបក្សសិទ្ធិមនុស្សនឹងមិននៅស្ងៀមឡើយចំពោះករណីនេះ ដោយលោកគ្រោងនឹងចេញសេចក្ដីថ្លែងការណ៍រិះគន់សេចក្ដីព្រាងនោះទៀត ផង។

យ៉ាងណាក៏ដោយ មន្ត្រីជាន់ខ្ពស់គណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា បានបដិសេធថាគណបក្សកាន់អំណាច មិនស្ថិតនៅពីក្រោយគម្រោងការបង្កើតច្បាប់ប្រឆាំង មេបក្សដែលជាទណ្ឌិតទេ។

អ្នកនាំពាក្យទីស្ដីការគណៈរដ្ឋមន្ត្រី លោក ផៃ ស៊ីផាន មានប្រសាសន៍ថា ការអនុវត្តនីតិវិធីរបស់ គ.ជ.ប. ជាផលប្រយោជន៍សកល មិនមែនសំដៅតែក្រុមណាមួយ ឬបុគ្គលណាមួយទេ។ លោកបន្តថា កន្លងមក គ.ជ.ប. តែងតែអនុវត្តការងាររបស់ខ្លួនបានត្រឹមត្រូវ ប្រកបដោយតម្លាភាព ស្របតាមនីតិរដ្ឋ។

លោក ផៃ ស៊ីផាន បញ្ជាក់ថា តាមច្បាប់ទណ្ឌិតមិនអនុញ្ញាតឲ្យធ្វើនយោបាយនោះឡើយ៖ «កាលណាយើងប្រើប្រាស់ពាក្យដើម្បីបំផ្លាញ គ.ជ.ប. ជារឿងខុសក្នុងលទ្ធិប្រជាធិបតេយ្យប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ សំដៅមតិភាគច្រើន»។

ទោះជាយ៉ាងនេះក្ដី អគ្គលេខាធិការគណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិរៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត លោក ទេព នីថា មានប្រសាសន៍ថា គ.ជ.ប. នឹងត្រូវរៀបចំនីតិវិធីនោះឲ្យចប់សព្វគ្រប់មុនថ្ងៃឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោត តំណាងរាស្ត្រឆ្នាំ២០១៣ ខាងមុខ ដោយយកច្បាប់បោះឆ្នោតជាមូលដ្ឋាន។

លោក ទេព នីថា បញ្ជាក់ថា ចំពោះពេលវេលាជាក់លាក់នៃការចេញសេចក្ដីព្រាងនីតិវិធីបន្ថែមនេះ មិនទាន់បានកំណត់រួចរាល់នៅឡើយទេ៖ «ច្បាប់បានហាម ពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងការឈរឈ្មោះ និងការចុះឈ្មោះបោះឆ្នោត។ តើអ្នកទាំងអស់នោះមានសិទ្ធិធ្វើការឃោសនាបោះ ឆ្នោត ឬក៏អត់ ច្បាប់មិនសំដៅលើនរណាទេ សំដៅទូទៅតែម្ដង»។

ការបោះឆ្នោតសភាអាណត្តិទី៥ នឹងប្រព្រឹត្តទៅនៅថ្ងៃទី២៨ កក្កដា ឆ្នាំ២០១៣ ដោយរក្សាចំនួនអាសនៈ ១២៣ ដូចអាណត្តិទី៤ដែរ។ បើសិនជាសេចក្ដីព្រាងហាមឃាត់ទណ្ឌិតមិនឲ្យចូលរួមឃោសនាក្លាយជា ច្បាប់មែននោះ បានន័យថា លោក សម រង្ស៉ី មិនអាចឃោសនាតាមរយៈបច្ចេកវិទ្យា វីដេអូ ផ្សាយផ្ទាល់ (Video Conference) បានដូចមុនទេ។

ប្រធានគណៈកម្មាធិការអព្យាក្រឹត និងយុត្តិធម៌ដើម្បីបោះឆ្នោតដោយសេរី និងត្រឹមត្រូវនៅកម្ពុជា ឬអង្គការ និកហ្វិច (NICFEC) លោកបណ្ឌិត ហង្ស ពុទ្ធា មានប្រសាសន៍ថា លោកមិនគាំទ្រចំពោះការរៀបចំច្បាប់ដែលរៀបចំឡើងសំដៅគោលដៅនយោបាយ ឡើយ។

លោកពន្យល់ថា មិនជាការចាំបាច់ទេចំពោះការរៀបចំនីតិវិធីថ្មីសំដៅរារាំងទណ្ឌិតមិនឲ្យឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោតនោះ៖ «បើ សិនជាសិក្សាច្បាប់នៅប្រទេសផ្សេង ដូចជានៅថៃ ថាក់ស៊ីន តុលាការកាត់ទោសហើយនៅតែអាចជួបអ្នកគាំទ្រខ្លួនតាមវីដេអូ ខនហ្វើរិន ដូចនេះវាមិនចាំបាច់មាននីតិវិធីបន្ថែម នេះទេ»។

ប្រធានគណបក្សប្រឆាំង សម រង្ស៉ី លោក សម រង្ស៉ី បាននិរទេសខ្លួនទៅក្រៅប្រទេសបន្ទាប់ពីដកតម្រុយបង្គោលព្រំដែន កម្ពុជា-វៀតណាម កាលពីឆ្នាំ២០១០ នៅខេត្តស្វាយរៀង។

សាលាឧទ្ធរណ៍នៅថ្ងៃទី២០ ខែកញ្ញា ឆ្នាំ២០១១ បានសម្រេចផ្តន្ទាទោសកំបាំងមុខលោក សម រង្ស៊ី ដោយបន្ថយទោសដាក់ពន្ធនាគារពី ១០ឆ្នាំ មកត្រឹម ៧ឆ្នាំ និងពិន័យជាប្រាក់សរុបចំនួន ៦៣លានរៀល ពីបទក្លែងបន្លំឯកសារផែនទីព្រំដែនកម្ពុជា-វៀតណាម និងបទញុះញង់ មានន័យថា លោក សម រង្ស៉ី ក្លាយជាទណ្ឌិត។

រាល់ការជួបជុំសមាជិកម្តងៗ ជាពិសេសពេលឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោតឃុំសង្កាត់ អាណត្តិទី៣ កន្លងទៅ លោក សម រង្ស៉ី តែងប្រើប្រាស់ប្រព័ន្ធទំនាក់ទំនងអេឡិចត្រូនិក វីដេអូ ខនហ្វើរិន ដើម្បីទាក់ទងទៅកាន់សមាជិករបស់ខ្លួន។

ច្បាប់ស្ដីពីការបោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសរើសតំណាងរាស្ត្រ មាត្រាទី៣៤ ថ្មីចែងថា ចំពោះជនណាដែលត្រូវបានតុលាការផ្ដន្ទាទោសដាក់ពន្ធនាគារពីបទ ឧក្រិដ្ឋ ឬបទមជ្ឈិម ហើយមិនទាន់មាននីតិសម្បទាឡើងវិញ គឺគ្មានសិទ្ធិឈរឈ្មោះជាបេក្ខភាពតំណាងរាស្ត្របានទេ។ ចំពោះការឃោសនាបោះឆ្នោតវិញ មិនទាន់មានច្បាប់ណាមួយហាមប្រាមចំពោះនីតិបុគ្គល ឬទណ្ឌិតនោះឡើយ៕

វៀតណាមកុម្មុយនិស្ត៖ «លទ្ធិប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ»ដឹកនាំដោយគណបក្សតែមួយ

ដោយ តាន់ ហ្សង់-ហ្វ្រង់ស្វ័រ

ថ្ងៃនេះ ហ្សង់-ហ្វ្រង់ស័រ តាន់សូមបន្តចាប់អារម្មណ៍ទៅលើភូមិសាស្ត្រនយោបាយនៃភូមិភាគ អាស៊ីអាគ្នេយ៍តទៅទៀត ដោយសូមលើកឡើងអំពីរបបកុម្មុយនិស្តវៀតណាម។ ជិត៤០ឆ្នាំ កន្លងមកហើយដែលវៀតណាមខាងជើងនិងវៀតណាមខាងត្បូង បាន បង្រួបបង្រួមគ្នាទៅជាប្រទេសតែមួយដែលដឹកនាំដោយគណបក្សកុម្មុយនិស្ត។ ទោះបីជាបាននិងកំពុងបន្តធ្វើសេរីកម្មសេដ្ឋកិច្ច តាំងពីឆ្នាំ១៩៨៦មកក្តី ក៏វៀតណាមដែលយកតម្រាប់តាមប្រទេសចិន នៅតែជាប្រទេសកាន់អំណាចផ្តាច់ការក្នុងពេលបច្ចុប្បន្ន។

ក្រោយបន្ទាប់ពីទីក្រុងសៃហ្កុង(Saigon) បានធ្លាក់នៅខែមេសាឆ្នាំ ១៩៧៥ វៀតណាមខាង ជើងនិងវៀតណាមខាងត្បូងត្រូវ បានបង្រួបបង្រួមគ្នាទៅជាប្រទេសតែមួយ វិញដែលក្លាយជារបបកុម្មុយ និស្តផ្តាច់ការ ក្រោមឈ្មោះថាសាធារណរដ្ឋសង្គមនិយមវៀតណាម។

ឥឡូវនេះ ជិត៤០ឆ្នាំក្រោយមក ជាផ្លូវការទីក្រុងហាណូយ (Hanoi) ចាត់ទុករបបនយោបាយនៃប្រទេសខ្លួនថា ជា"លទ្ធិប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ ដឹកនាំដោយគណបក្សតែមួយ" នោះ គឺគណបក្សកុម្មុយ និស្តវៀតណាម។ រដ្ឋាភិបាលពន្យល់ថា ខ្លួនកំពុងប្រឹងប្រែងធ្វើឲ្យលទ្ធិប្រជាធិបតេយ្យរីកចំរើនសន្សឹមៗ ទៅមុខដោយសន្តិវិធី។

នៅក្នុងន័យនេះ អាជ្ញាធរអះអាងថា នៅពេលបោះឆ្នោតសភាម្តងៗ តែងតែមានតំណាងរាស្រ្តមួយចំនួន ដែលមិនមែនចេញមកពីជួរគណបក្សកុម្មុយនិស្ត។ ជាក់ស្តែង វាមានអ៊ីចឹងមែនបេក្ខជនមិន មែនកុម្មុយនិស្តក្នុងពេលបោះឆ្នោតឆ្នាំ ២០០៧ ក៏ដូចក្នុងពេលបោះឆ្នោតឆ្នាំ២០១១ដែរ។

ក៏ប៉ុន្តែ ការពិតទាំងស្រុង វាមិនដូចមាត់រដ្ឋាភិបាលថានោះឡើយ។ អ្នកដែលមិនមែនកុម្មុយនិស្ត អាចឈរឈ្មោះបោះឆ្នោតបាន លុះត្រាតែអ្នកនោះជាបេក្ខជនឯកឯង គ្មានអង្គការនយោបាយ សង្គមឬសាសនា នៅពីក្រោយ។ យ៉ាប់ជាងនេះទៅទៀត បេក្ខភាពនៃបណ្តាជនឯករាជ្យទាំងអស់នោះ ត្រូវឆ្លងកាត់មុខអាជ្ញាធរមូលដ្ឋាន រួចហើយមុខអាជ្ញាធរថ្នាក់ជាតិ។

ជាទូទៅ បេក្ខភាពច្រើនសន្ធឹកសន្ធាប់ណាស់ត្រូវបានច្រានចោល ក្រោមលេសថា ជាការគំរាមកំហែងដល់សណ្តាប់ធ្នាប់សាធារណៈ។

ក្រោមលេសថាជាការគំរាមកំហែងសណ្តាប់ធ្នាប់សាធារណៈ អាជ្ញាធរវៀតណាម ចាប់សកម្មជនប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ និងសកម្មជនសិទ្ធិមនុស្សញាត់បញ្ចូលគុក ធ្វើទុក្ខបុកម្នេញទៅលើជនជាតិភាគតិច ទៅលើប្រមុខពុទ្ធសាសនា និងប្រមុខគ្រិស្តសាសនា។ មិនត្រឹមតែគ្មានសេរីភាពសាសនាប៉ុណ្ណោះទេ សូម្បីតែសេរីភាពសារពត៌មានក៏គ្មានដែរ។ ជាក់ស្តែង នៅក្នុងរបាយការណ៍ឆ្នាំ២០០៨របស់ខ្លួន អង្គការអ្នកសារពត៌មានគ្មានព្រំដែន បានសរសេរជាអាទិ៍ថា"នគរបាលនយោបាយ នៅវៀតណាម បានចាត់វិធានការប្រឆាំងនឹងការបោះពុម្ភផ្សាយផ្សេងៗរបស់ពួកអ្នក ជំទាស់។ អ្នកកាសែតម្នាក់ និងពួកអ្នកសរសេរអត្ថបទប្រឆាំងនឹងរដ្ឋាភិបាល តាមអ៊ីនធ័រណែត ចំនួនជាង១០នាក់ ត្រូវបានកាត់ទោសឲ្យជាប់ពន្ធនាគារ ហើយអ្នកកាសែតបារាំងម្នាក់ធ្វើការឲ្យវិទ្យុប្រឆាំងមួយ ត្រូវបានចាប់ខ្លួន ក្នុងបទភេរវកម្ម។"

និយាយរួម ប្រព័ន្ធនយោបាយនៃប្រទេសវៀតណាមមានមូលដ្ឋាននៅលើអំណាចនៃបក្ស កុម្មុយនិស្ត។ គឺគណៈកម្មាធិការមជ្ឈិមនិងការិយាល័យនយោបាយនៃបក្សជាអ្នកអនុម័តរាល់ សេចក្តីសម្រេចចិត្តសំខាន់ៗ។ បក្សកុម្មុយនិស្តវៀតណាមមានវត្តមាននៅគ្រប់ជាន់ថ្នាក់និងគ្រប់ទី កន្លែង ពីរដ្ឋបាលជាតិនិងមូលដ្ឋាន ពីកងទ័ពនិងនគរបាល រហូតទៅដល់សាលារៀននិងសហគ្រាសរដ្ឋឬឯកជន។

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ផ្ទុយទៅវិញ នៅលើវិស័យសេដ្ឋកិច្ច វៀតណាមយកតម្រាប់តាមចិនដោយបានបោះបង់ចោល សេដ្ឋកិច្ចផែនការបែរទៅរកសេដ្ឋកិច្ចទីផ្សារនិងបើកចំហប្រទេស ដើម្បីទទួលវិនិយោគបរទេស។

ថ្នាក់ដឹកនាំវៀតណាម បានផ្តើមធ្វើសេរីកម្មសេដ្ឋកិច្ចនៅឆ្នាំ១៩៨៦។ កាលនោះ ទីក្រុងហាណូយបានអនុម័តច្បាប់មួយចំនួន បានអនុញ្ញាតឲ្យមានវិនិយោគបរទេសជាលើកទីមួយបង្អស់។ គឺជាការផ្តើមឡើងនៃនយោបាយdoi moi ដែលគេអាចបកប្រែថាជា កំណែទម្រង់ ឬការផ្លាស់ប្តូរឲ្យបានប្រសើរឡើងស្រដៀងគ្នានឹងពាក្យ Perestroïka នៅសហភាពសូវៀតសម័យលោក Gorbatchev។

ក្រោយមកទៀត នៅឆ្នាំ១៩៩១ ថ្នាក់ដឹកនាំវៀតណាម បានផ្តើមធ្វើសេរីកម្មនៅលើវិស័យកសិកម្ម។ ដីធ្លីលែងជាកម្មសិទ្ធិរបស់សមូហភាព។ រដ្ឋាភិបាលទទួលស្គាល់វិស័យឯកជន និងធ្វើកំណែទម្រង់ក្រុមហ៊ុនរដ្ឋ។ នយោបាយdoi moi បាននាំមកយ៉ាងលឿនរហ័ស នូវលទ្ធផលល្អហួសការស្មាន និងគួរឲ្យភ្ញាក់ផ្អើលជាទីបំផុត។ នៅចុងទសវត្សរ៍ទី៩០ វៀតណាមដែលជាប្រទេសក្រគ្មានអង្ករច្រកឆ្នាំង បានក្លាយជាប្រទេសលក់អង្ករចេញទៅក្រៅលំដាប់ថ្នាក់លេខមួយ នៅក្នុងពិភពលោក។ នៅឆ្នាំ១៩៩៥ វៀតណាមក្លាយជាសមាជិកនៃអាស៊ាន មានទំនាក់ទំនងទូតឡើងវិញជាមួយសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ដែលបានសម្រេចឈប់ដាក់ទណ្ឌកម្មសេដ្ឋកិច្ចទៅលើប្រទេសអតីតសត្រូវមួយ នេះរបស់ខ្លួន នៅឆ្នាំ១៩៩៤។

ជាការពិតណាស់ដែលថា សេរីកម្មសេដ្ឋកិច្ចនៅវៀតណាម មិនបាននាំមកទន្ទឹមគ្នានូវប្រជាធិ បតេយ្យូបនីយកម្មនៃប្រទេស។ ក៏ប៉ុន្តែក្រុមអ្នកសង្កេតការណ៍ អះអាងថាសព្វថ្ងៃនៅផ្ទៃក្នុងគណ បក្សកុម្មុយនិស្តវៀតណាម មានការតស៊ូមតិយ៉ាងផុសផុល ជុំវិញប្រធានរឿងពីរ។ ប្រធានរឿងទីមួយគឺការចាំបាច់ក្នុងការបង្កើតឲ្យមានអង្គការមួយ ចំនួនដែលមិនអាស្រ័យនឹងបក្សកុម្មុយនិស្តដូចយ៉ាងអង្គការប្រយុទ្ធប្រឆាំងនឹងអំពើពុករលួយជាដើម។

គោលដៅ គឺធ្វើយ៉ាងណាដើម្បីឲ្យមានបណ្តើរៗ ស្ថាប័នឯករាជ្យដែលអាចទប់កម្លាំងខ្លាំងជ្រុលរបស់គណបក្ស កុម្មុយនិស្ត ពីព្រោះពិភពលោកដែលផ្លាស់ប្តូរ ទាមទារឲ្យមានការផ្លាស់ប្តូរដែរនៅក្នុងប្រទេសវៀតណាម។

ប្រធានរឿងទីពីរនៃការតស៊ូមតិនៅក្នុងផ្ទៃក្នុងបក្សកុម្មុយនិស្ត វៀតណាមសព្វថ្ងៃគឺការរៀបចំឲ្យមាន តុល្យភាពល្អ រវាងចរន្តពួកកុម្មុយនិស្តខាងត្បូង និងចរន្តពួកកុម្មុយនិស្តខាងជើង។ គួរបញ្ជាក់ថា នៅឆ្នាំ១៩៧៥ ក្រោយពេលដែលទីក្រុងសៃហ្កុងបានធ្លាក់ ពួកកុម្មុយនិស្តដែលបានបង្កប់ខ្លួននៅវៀត ណាមខាងត្បូងបាក់កម្លាំង ទន់ខ្សោយខ្លាំង។ មូលហេតុទីមួយគឺបណ្តាលមកពីក្នុងចន្លោះឆ្នាំ១៩៦៨ និងឆ្នាំ១៩៧៥ ពួកកុម្មុយនិស្តបង្កប់ខ្លួន នៅវៀតណាមខាងត្បូង បានស្លាប់អស់ច្រើន។

ឯមូលហេតុទីពីរ គឺបណ្តាលមកពី ការបង្រួបបង្រួមយ៉ាងលឿនរហ័ស វៀតណាមខាងត្បូងនិងវៀតណាមខាងជើងទៅជាប្រទេសតែមួយនិងការលាត សន្ធឹងរបៀបគ្រប់គ្រងប្រទេសតាមបែបកុម្មុយនីស្ត ពីខាងជើងមកខាងត្បូង ធ្វើឲ្យចរន្តពួកកុម្មុយនិស្តខាងជើង មានឥទ្ធិពលខ្លាំងជាង ចរន្តពួកកុម្មុយនិស្តខាងត្បូង។

ក៏ប៉ុន្តែ នៅដើមសតវត្សរ៍ទី២១នេះ សេដ្ឋកិច្ចមានតម្លៃជាងមនោគមវិជ្ជា បានន័យថាតំបន់ប៉ែកខាងត្បូង ជាពិសេសទីក្រុងសៃហ្កុងដែលជាក្បាលម៉ាស៊ីនសេដ្ឋកិច្ចកំពុងស្គាល់ការ អភិវឌ្ឍន៍លឿនជាងតំបន់ប៉ែកខាងជើង ជាហេតុធ្វើឲ្យចរន្តពួកកុម្មុយនិស្តខាងត្បូង មានទឹកមាត់ប្រៃឡើងវិញ។

លើសពីនេះទៅទៀត ប្រជាជនវៀតណាមនៅបរទេស កូនចៅរបស់ជនភៀសខ្លួន Boat people ដែលបានរៀនសូត្រនៅអាមេរិកឬនៅអឺរ៉ុប ត្រឡប់ចូលមកក្នុងមាតុប្រទេសវិញ ជាពិសេសមករស់នៅទីក្រុងសៃហ្កុង និងរកស៊ីមានបាន ក្លាយជាតួអង្គសេដ្ឋកិច្ចសំខាន់ៗ ដែលពីអំណើះតទៅ គណ បក្សកុម្មុយនិស្តវៀតណាម ត្រូវតែយកចិត្តទុកដាក់៕

Sunday 8 July 2012

The challenge of internationalisation in Hong Kong

By Way Kuo 08 July 2012 Issue No:229

How many non-Chinese students study in Hong Kong? You would expect them to be flocking here. Our universities rank among the best in the world; our professors are well respected; we have strong historical ties to Britain; and Hong Kong, we are told, is Asia's world city, the bridge between East and West, the gateway to China.

But the reality is that relatively few non-Chinese students come here. Of the 56,921 full-time undergraduates on University Grants Committee-funded programmes in 2011-12, 1,057 came from Asia, outside mainland China, while 274 came from the rest of the world.

Many universities in North America and Europe have at least the same number of international students enrolled as the total number studying in Hong Kong.

This begs the question: Why? Why are so few non-Chinese students coming to Hong Kong? Or, for that matter, why so few from Taiwan? In fact, almost none came from Taiwan before 2008, the year I started to work at City University of Hong Kong.

So, really how internationalised is Asia's world city?

Internationalism needs a changed mindset

The essence of internationalisation is the ability to adapt to new circumstances, initiate cultural changes, overcome resistance to change, learn from other cultures and implement new ideas. It does not mean simply the ability to speak English, as a comparison between Hong Kong and South Korea reveals.

South Korea has changed beyond all recognition in the past 20 years, buoyed by the success of companies like Samsung and Hyundai. Its cultural exports, including Korean cuisine, television programmes and traditional medicine, are enjoyed throughout Asia, and its products are used all over the world.

Without a doubt, Seoul is an international city, headquarters to one of the most dynamic economies on earth. But what is interesting is that South Korea's success has not been due to the ability of its people to speak fluent English, just as Japan's economy was not built in the 1980s and 1990s on trilingualism and bi-literacy.

Most visitors to Seoul will agree that people in Hong Kong tend to have greater English language skills. Rather, South Korea's triumph has been to modify its mindset and change with the times.

The Koreans have shown that internationalisation is not wholly dependent on language skills; changing with the times is more crucial. In a globalised world, where our actions are heard, seen and evaluated beyond our borders, we must be able to anticipate the need for change at a deep structural, societal and cultural level.

Leadership, either by individuals or as a group, should mean standing up to be counted, forging ahead and taking responsibility for change to liberalise our ways of governance and implement creative innovations that raise global standards and benefit humankind.

So what is internationalisation in education, if it is not simply about learning English?

For me, it means more than language skills and exchanges for scholars and students. It means giving our young people the chance to understand their own culture first and opportunities to learn about other cultures.

It means establishing curriculum reforms that will create space for knowledge creation, original discoveries and innovative thinking by integrating learning and research. Most important of all, it requires a change of mentality, one that is free of prejudice, open to new ideas, adaptable and all-embracing.

The rise of Asia

Internationalisation isn't a new phenomenon. It has been around since humans first started interacting and finding common causes and ideals. Two thousand years ago, state-to-state exchanges during the Warring States period were the norm before China was unified.

The world continued learning from China until the 15th century and then, after the Industrial Revolution in Europe, the world began to modernise and the West grew in power. But now that East Asia is rising, we can learn just as much from the East as we do from the West, which is why we should develop confidence in our own areas of expertise.

Universities in Hong Kong should take full advantage of the city's unique cultural and geographical position to enhance their influence as intermediaries between China, Asia and the West.

They should seek cross-border collaborations that develop innovative education programmes and research enterprises with Asian and Western perspectives, and create new paradigms, structures and growth points for global advancement.

Internationalisation grows from our own culture. No matter which way one looks, people in Hong Kong first need to embrace Chinese culture and language, mindful that it is paid greater attention by the rest of the world than ever before.

In some ways, since my arrival in Hong Kong, I have felt that the United States is actually closer to China than Taiwan is; and that Taiwan is closer to China than Hong Kong is, in spite of geographic proximity and historical connections.

In this regard, the US is more internationalised than Taiwan, which is more internationalised than Hong Kong. Keep in mind, too, that no one is likely to come to study in Hong Kong simply because we use English; otherwise, why are there far more foreign students in Beijing or Shanghai than in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong and its universities have to consider what to offer the rest of the world.

Estimates suggest Asia will constitute about 70% of the global demand for higher education in 15 years time. How are we to respond in the context of internationalisation? Only when a greater number of students from the rest of the world are studying in Hong Kong universities can we say that we are making some progress towards internationalisation.

* Professor Way Kuo is the president of City University of Hong Kong. This article was first published as “Hong Kong as Asia's First City? Not yet” in the South China Morning Post and is republished with permission.

The online, free education revolution accelerates in Australia

The Australian08 July 2012 Issue No:229

Two Australian universities are going through the final planning phases before the prototype of a free online learning platform aimed at disadvantaged people, particularly in developing nations, is given its first test run, writes Julie Hare for The Australian.

The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and Wollongong University are among 15 institutions that will contribute courses to the Open Education Resource University, which is being run by WikiEducator. USQ Vice-chancellor Jan Thomas described it as a “try before you buy” option to higher education. Under the prototype, students will not need to pay to study unless they want to be assessed.

Full report on The Australian site

Julie Hare

From: The Australia

July 03, 2012 12:00AM

Jan Thomas, vice chancellor of USQ, says the race is on to find new educational paradigms. Source: Supplied

THE building momentum behind free online higher education has been given another shot in the arm after UNESCO announced it will ask governments worldwide to commit to developing, promoting and making available open educational resources.

Meanwhile, two Australian universities are going through the final planning phases before the prototype of a free online learning platform aimed at disadvantaged people particularly in developing nations is given its first test run.

The University of Southern Queensland and Wollongong University are among 15 institutions which will contribute courses to the Open Education Resource University, which is being run by WikiEducator.

USQ vice-chancellor Jan Thomas described it as a “try before you buy” option to higher education.
Under the prototype, students will not need to pay to study unless they want to be assessed.
Professor Thomas said OERU would also be priced at a fraction of normal university units. She said by picking up subjects from the various institutions involved it would, in theory, be possible to graduate at a quarter of the cost of a full degree.

Professor Thomas said one just needed to look to India to see the potential, and need, for such an offering.

“The number of higher education students is expected to double in the next 10 to 20 years,” she said.
“We need new paradigms for educational delivery that allow us to cope with the astronomical growth projected.”

Under the arrangement, each institution will offer at least two courses – the equivalent to one full-year subject. Academic volunteers will provide free tutorial support.

Professor Thomas said rather than cannibalising existing offerings, the OERU would more likely act as a feeder into existing online degrees with credit or advanced standing.

“We are removing cost as the major barrier to learning, opening the door to students from a variety of backgrounds, including stay-at-home mothers, students from third world countries, and so on.
The UNESCO declaration was presented at the World Open Educational Resources (OER) Congress in Paris in June. The congress is a partnership between UNESCO and the non-profit Commonwealth of Learning.

Helping Asian students understand regional accents

08 July 2012 Issue No:229

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have developed a computer program that helps Asian students improve their understanding of accented English speech in noisy environments.

The team of researchers from the schools of psychology, education, and English realised that some Asian students found it difficult to understand the range of different English accents spoken in Britain.

They identified that some of the students had particular difficulties with differentiating sounds at the end of English words (rope versus robe) and at the start (tin versus thin).

Such problems with spoken English can make continuous speech difficult to follow, given that misunderstanding just one word can potentially change the whole interpretation of a sentence. The difficulties are also magnified in non-optimal listening situations such as on a telephone or in places such as shopping centres where there can be a lot of ambient noise.

To tackle the problem, the researchers developed a computerised Spoken English Discrimination, or SED, training program. This can be used to train Chinese speakers in how to detect differences in speech sounds in adverse conditions, such as accented speech, or in situations where there are a number of other sounds in the background.

The research team secured development money for the project through the European funded Innovation Fellowship scheme and via Nottingham’s own Hermes Fellowship. The awards enabled the team to develop the product, assess the market demand and identify business collaboration opportunities.

The research team was led by Nicola Pitchford and Walter van Heuven from the school of psychology. Pitchford said the findings showed that SED training did have a significant impact in terms of enabling Asian students to differentiate between sounds.

“There has already been interest from government organisations through to a major Chinese mobile phone company, which is interested in developing it into an educational phone app,” Pitchford said.

“In China alone, over 300 million people are involved in learning and teaching English, so we are very excited about the programme’s potential.”

The university is also looking to integrate SED training into existing English language teaching schemes because it covers specific cultural elements, accents and different noisy backgrounds, issues that are normally not included in language courses.

PhDs – What model works for developing countries?

By Devi D Tewari 08 July 2012 Issue No:229

Doctoral research is often dubbed the ‘primary function of universities’. It supplies important academic training with the main focus on creating a highly skilled and knowledgeable labour force with great competence in influencing the ideas of wider society.

The acquisition of a PhD has become the yardstick for measuring the quality of research output in countries as well as contributing new research-oriented ideas.

The models, practices and procedures for the awarding of a PhD degree have been extensively transformed since its introduction in Germany in 1810 at the University of Berlin. At that time, the awarding of a PhD meant a candidate had to attend and contribute at seminars, submit a self-written and acceptable dissertation or thesis characterised by originality and creativity, and pass a comprehensive oral examination.

Between the 1860s and 1930s PhD studies permeated North America, Canada, Australia and Britain as well as other parts of Europe. In North America, Yale was the first university to commission PhD studies and was later joined by other institutions, including Harvard and the Universities of Michigan and Pennsylvania.

In the United States, the requirements for the awarding of a PhD were extended to include undertaking a set of specialised courses, enrolling for three years, demonstrating a reading knowledge of at least one foreign language, passing a comprehensive examination, submitting a dissertation and passing an oral examination.

Australia and Britain adopted and modified the American system in accordance with their indigenous conditions. The methods of examination for PhDs were therefore part of the warp and weft of the traditions and cultures of these countries.

Two distinguished models emerged

By the close of the 1950s two highly distinguished models of examining PhD dissertations had emerged and were practised by, first, Britain, Australia and some Commonwealth nations and, second, universities in the US and Canada.

The quality of a PhD dissertation depended on the nature of supervision and the models used to examine it. In the American system, supervision was administered by a team of academics led by a principal supervisor. In the British system, only one supervisor undertakes the whole moderation process.

PhD candidate status is granted only after the student has passed a comprehensive examination under the American model, but under the European model PhD candidacy is granted upon the successful defence of a research proposal.

The American PhD system has many checks and balances to control for quality. For example, a PhD student must pass a set of coursework covering the duration of about 12 to 18 months, in addition to the comprehensive examination.

The comprehensive examination is a very important feature of the American system and comprises both written and oral elements. A student who fails the comprehensive examination is given the opportunity to take it again within a year. If the student fails the second time s/he is advised to withdraw from the programme.

To control for quality in the European system, a PhD student must successfully pass a proposal defence seminar. This system absolutely eliminates the need for coursework and favours a good proposal written and defended by the student in the presence of the proposal examination committee. A failure to defend the proposal successfully prevents the university from granting a PhD candidacy.

Different models of dissertation examination

However, in the examination of the dissertation the two models differ sharply.

Under the American model, a group of academicians – internal and external, including the principal supervisor – examine the student’s work. These academics form the dissertation examination committee, which examines the student both orally and on the basis of a written submission.

The supervisor is a very important figure in the whole process and his or her importance is based on the premise that s/he is an intellectual who is interested in producing another intellectual through the production of a dissertation by the student.

Therefore the supervisor is guided by intellectual ethical guidelines, which will ensure the authenticity and quality of the dissertation. However, the external examiner holds the veto power and fails the candidate if the dissertation is of low quality.

In the European model, examiners are appointed to evaluate the dissertation and the main supervisor is excluded. This model excludes the supervisor on the basis that his or her judgement may be clouded by self-interest even in the case of a low quality dissertation.

The examiners, who may be local or international, together with the dean or deputy dean, form the dissertation referees committee. The role of the committee is to make a summary report on the results of the various reports submitted by the different examiners.

Compared to the American model, the European model committee is relatively less powerful since it cannot decide on whether to pass or fail a candidate. The examiners make this decision.

Conclusions

Based on these distinctions, it is clear that the American model is more painstaking and has multi-stage confirmations to control for quality of the candidate and dissertation. However, it is expensive to adopt and implement.

Both models of PhD dissertation examination have their limitations and their strength is seen in the assumptions concerning the human nature of the supervisor(s) involved.

The European system works on the premise of the vested interest underpinning human nature, while the American system believes that advancement in knowledge inculcates ethical values into the supervisor(s), making him or her turn their back on any vested interest.

Replicating the American system in developing countries, where the knowledge industry and research ethics are still in their infant stages, is unattainable as the required standards are weak and not suitable for ensuring the integrity of the dissertation examination process.

It is therefore better to begin with the European system, but gradually implement the American system as the knowledge industry and research ethics approach the required standards.

Some institutions, such as the Indian institutes of management and Indian institutes of technology, have however switched to the American model and have produced good results and become world-class institutions.

* Devi D Tewari is a professor in the school of accounting, economics and finance at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.

English spreads as teaching language in universities worldwide

Andrew Green, Wang Fangqing, Paul Cochrane, Jonathan Dyson and Carmen Paun08 July 2012 Issue No:229

The Politecnico di Milano, one of Italy's most prestigious universities, will teach and assess most of its degree and all of its postgraduate courses in English from 2014. While the move proved controversial in Italy, it is far from unusual – universities worldwide have been switching wholly or partly to teaching in English for a number of reasons.

This became clear during interviews with academics and higher education officials in a selection of countries around the world.

Chief among the reasons for the marked shift towards teaching in English, especially at postgraduate level, were improved graduate employment and mobility prospects and the need for graduates who can speak English for international trade.

But there are also challenges, including a shortage of lecturers who are proficient in English, the costs involved and local resistance.

Rwanda

One particularly illuminating example is in Africa. Former Belgian colony Rwanda once taught mainly in French or the indigenous Kinyarwanda dialect, but switched to English as the primary language of educational instruction in 2008.

It changed partly in order to integrate better with nations that cooperate as the East African Community – Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi – the majority of them English-speaking in official circles.

The switch has also helped to distance Rwanda from France, which the Rwandan government has accused of arming the 1994 Hutu genocide against the minority Tutsi population.

The Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in the capital city was one of the first to convert fully. Focusing first on English-taught technical classes, it is now expanding English usage across the arts and humanities.

However, four years on, students and instructors still struggle with English, said Professor John Severin Mshana, KIST’s vice-rector for academics. “It's a problem for students to understand what lecturers are saying,” he said.

This stemmed from not having enough primary and secondary school teachers with English fluency, he added. So KIST offers remedial English classes to students.

Despite the challenge, Mshana said he has never heard anyone question the transition. Quite the opposite, because “to be bilingual is a benefit”.

China

Meanwhile, Chinese universities have been adding bilingual lectures to curricula to comply with a 2007 government requirement for more lectures in English and Chinese to improve the overall quality of Chinese students, as the Ministry of Education put it.

Ningbo University in the key east China trading port of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, started trialling bilingual teaching then, and has a small number of English lectures, including some taught partly in English.

Around half of these are finance-related, including international clearance, international finance and accounting.

“English-teaching makes our students more competitive if they want to seek jobs in foreign companies or banks. It will also benefit our students planning to study abroad,” said Zhang Ying, a curriculum specialist at Ningbo.

Other lectures, such as liberal arts and scientific engineering, use just Chinese. "For one thing, the English level of Chinese students is not good enough. For another, we lack English-speaking teachers,” Zhang told University World News.

Limited budgets are another constraint. Ningbo usually seeks teachers among overseas returnees, or sends its own teachers abroad for short-term language training. "It costs a lot more if we hire returnees, let alone foreign teachers.”

However, Zhang added, a “foreign language cannot be quickly improved in just six months. That's why we are still trialling the English-teaching programme."

Middle East

In the Middle East, English is the official language of long-established American universities in Lebanon, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and is rapidly becoming the language of choice at new universities in the region.

In Lebanon, for instance, students over the past decade have increasingly opted for English over French at university despite being schooled in French. Again, job opportunities are typically cited as the major reason.

This has not generally caused problems, but there has been some resistance in the more conservative Gulf countries – and there have recently been moves towards a greater role for Arabic in higher education.

In Qatar, English has been gradually imposed on schools as well as at the state-owned Qatar University, where most subjects are now taught in English. Also, Qatar Foundation's Education City has six branch-campuses of leading American universities.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one academic based in Qatar told University World News: "Some Qataris are not happy about English being the dominant language, as they feel it is at the expense of Arabic and a further blow to their culture.

“This is a pressing issue at Qatar University as English is the course language at the Education City universities.”

Latin America

In Latin American universities too, teaching in English is increasingly common. It is driven largely by job opportunities opening up at overseas companies investing in Latin America, and as more students look to work overseas.

Ecuador is typical, and Universidad San Francisco de Quito in the capital city Quito leads the way.

Students must reach an advanced level of English before they can graduate. A growing number of courses, including psychology, sociology and education, are now taught mostly in English, with each specifying a number of credits that students must take in the language.

“The use of English here has been growing over the past five years,” said Rhys Davies, English coordinator at Universidad San Francisco de Quito. “We are always looking for teachers to teach in English, and lots are now from the US and the UK.

“Students know how important it could be for their professions and embrace any opportunity to improve language skills.” Another factor is the growing number of students becoming postgraduates in the US, Davies added.

Europe

In Europe, professors in The Netherlands have complained of Dutch becoming a second-class language and students have not been generally happy about the spread of English.

Competition for foreign students has seen English gain ground since 2009 depending on subject and degree level. Dutch prevails for bachelor degrees, and English at masters level. International programmes are largely in English.

At the University of Amsterdam, two bachelor of arts programmes – economics; and business, liberal arts and sciences – are in English, as are 87 masters and research masters programmes.

Since 1996, almost all courses at Maastricht University have switched to, or started up in, English. Some staff and students worried about their English proficiency, so the university has student admission requirements based on TOEFL and IELTS English language exams.

"For teaching and support staff, courses are offered to improve their level of English," a spokesperson said.

Using English has attracted students from Anglophone countries. The Netherlands is seen as an option by students from the UK, where tuition fees have tripled of late. Within a broader strategy, teaching in English has seen a doubling over 10 years in the proportion of foreign students registered at Maastricht.

The Dutch approach to English usage in universities is echoed in some other European countries, including Germany and Scandinavian nations.

Oxford 'admitting more students from poor backgrounds'

Oxford is admitting more teenagers from poor performing state schools and deprived backgrounds amid government pressure to create a more diverse student body, it has emerged.

By Graeme Paton, Education Editor

New figures show a 75 per cent increase in offers made to disadvantaged students who were fast-tracked for interview at the elite university this year.

It was also revealed that more than four-in-10 teenagers who applied after attending an Oxford summer school – set up for bright pupils from poor areas – have been given a provisional place in 2012.

This was twice as high as the average offer rate for other students.

The disclosure underlines the lengths to which the university is now going to recruit bright candidates from “under-represented groups”.

It follows a series of high-profile attacks by the Coalition on Britain’s most selective universities.

Last year, Nick Clegg accused Oxford and Cambridge of being effectively biased against poor pupils, saying they had to ensure “British society is better reflected” in their admissions to justify state funding.

Universities are now being ordered to set targets for the number of disadvantaged students being admitted to ensure the poor are not deterred by tuition fees of up to £9,000.
It has prompted concerns that universities are being forced to place "widening access" above maintaining high academic standards.

But Prof Andrew Hamilton, the Oxford vice-chancellor, said the latest figures showed the university was “passionately committed to attracting talented students whatever their circumstances”.
“By offering the most generous financial support in the country, we have made it more likely that those from under-represented socio-economic backgrounds will choose Oxford,” he said. “We hope our message is getting across: If you have the ability, Oxford will remove all barriers.”
Currently, Oxford uses a special system to ensure bright applicants from poor backgrounds are “flagged” up to admissions tutors during the applications process – ensuring they receive a fair interview.

Students gain a flag if their school is below the national average at GCSE or A-level, if they have been in care for more than three months or come from a deprived postcode.
According to figures, 573 candidates were shortlisted for interviews after being “flagged” by the university. Of those, 185 have won offers this year. This compares with 106 who were given offers in 2011 – representing a rise of 75 per cent in just 12 months.

Separate figures show the number of students being given conditional offers after attending Oxford summer schools – staged each summer for pupils from schools and colleges “which historically have had limited progression to Oxford”.

According to data, some 444 students who attended a summer school went on to apply to the university this year. Of those, 185 – or 41 per cent – received an offer.
This was twice as high as the acceptance rate for other students, the university said.
In total, 17,243 people applied to Oxford for entry in 2012 and 3,536 received the offer of a place – a 20.5 per cent success rate.

Top universities warned over 'slow' admissions progress in UK

The Telegraph08 July 2012 Issue No:229

The number of disadvantaged students admitted to sought-after UK institutions remained flat last year, it was claimed. The Office for Fair Access said attempts to attract more applicants had been too “slow” and all institutions would be expected to set more ambitious targets for 2012-13, writes Graeme Patron for The Telegraph.

It emerged that fewer students from disadvantaged backgrounds were admitted to England’s 33 leading universities last year with some form of financial support. But more undergraduates claimed a full bursary, figures showed, suggesting that a far larger share of available cash is being concentrated on the very poorest students, at the expense of partial subsidies handed to those from lower middle-class households.

Figures also showed that the amount of financial help being invested in deprived students increased across the English higher education system from £403.7 million (US$629 million) in 2009-10 to £424.2 million last year.

Full report on The Telegraph site

Government pushes for national university mergers in Taiwan

The China Post08 July 2012 Issue No:229

Taiwan’s Ministry of Education will actively move to promote mergers among national universities, to counter the steady drop in student numbers caused by the declining birth rate and to better integrate university education resources, reports The China Post.

According to officials, the ministry has worked out regulations governing the mergers of universities, and will set up a merger screening committee to screen merger plans filed by national universities. In addition, it has amended the University Act to drop the regulation that stipulates university merger plans should be approved by academic affairs meetings for national universities. The amendment was ratified by the legislative Yuan.

Based on the revised act, the ministry can directly propose a merger plan of national universities to the executive Yuan for approval after taking various factors into account. Ministry officials said that Taiwan boasts the highest density of universities in the world, with a total of 162 universities, including 53 national universities and 109 private ones, in a land area of only 36,000 square kilometres.

Full report on the China Post site

Gov't pushes for national university mergers

The China Post news staff--The Ministry of Education (MOE) will actively move to promote mergers among national universities to counter the steady decline in the number of students caused by the increasingly low birth rate and to better integrate university education resources, according to MOE officials.

The MOE has worked out a set of regulations governing the mergers of universities, and will set up a merger screening committee to screen merger plans filed by national universities, with the committee to be headed by the education minister or the political vice minister.

In addition, the MOE has also amended the University Act to drop the regulation that stipulates university merger plans should be approved by academic affairs meetings for national universities. The amendment was ratified by the Legislative Yuan.

Based on the revised Act, the MOE can directly propose a merger plan of national universities to the Executive Yuan for approval after taking into account factors including the overall development of higher education, the distribution of educational resources, the geographic conditions of the relevant universities and other related issues.

MOE officials said that Taiwan now boasts the highest density of universities in the world, with a total of 162 universities, including 53 national universities and 109 private ones on a land area of only 36,000 square kilometers.

As it runs counter to the R.O.C. Constitution for the Ministry of Education to request mergers of private universities, the ministry has no other choice but to carry out mergers of national universities to cope with the growing difficulty in recruiting new students as a result of the ever-declining birth rate.

Ho Cho-fei, director of the Department of Higher Education under the MOE, said that the education ministry will move to study the feasibility of mergers between national universities in accordance with the scale of universities involved, their respective academic fields, education resources allocated to students, and geographic conditions, in a bid to secure an optimal scale of economy for the expanded universities.

In addition, national universities in remote areas such as National Taitung University and National Penghu University of Science and Technology won't be merged.

Over the past few years, planned mergers among some national universities have failed to proceed smoothly, including the merger between National Taiwan University and National Taipei University of Education; National Tsing Hua University and National Hsinchu University of Education; as well as National Cheng Kung University and Tainan National University of the Arts.

For instance, the merger between National Tsing Hua University and National Hsinchu University ofa Education was submitted to the Ministry of Education as early as 2006, but both universities failed to reach a consensus on how to carry out the merger, the official name of the merged university, and the personnel arrangement.

Sam Rany, Ph.D.