President Ma Ying-jeou says he has been pushing for Taiwan’s K-12 education to carry out the spirit of Confucianism. He made the remarks Saturday at the 120th anniversary of the establishment of National Taipei University of Education.
Ma said he addressed the issue of education and introduced his plan of K-12 education for the first time during his New Year speech in 2011. He said that discussion of implementing a K-12 education system in Taiwan has been around for 30 years. He also said that it took three years of preparation before the system was launched last year.
Ma said the purpose of the educational policy is to carry out the Confucian spirit. The president said the curriculum should enhance students’ learning ability and cultivate creativity. Ma also said he is the first president of the country to worship Confucius. He said he did so to show respect to Confucianism.
Ma quoted the results of a recent education ministry survey. He said that 84 percent of the junior high school students are happy with the schools they go to, while over 90 percent agree that what they learn is both interesting and will be beneficial to their future development.