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IN TAIPEI - IN TAIWAN, getting into a university these days is a breeze.
The university admission rate hit a record high of 96.3 per cent this year as some universities lowered entry requirements to boost intake.
The lowest admission score came from a student who got a place despite scoring less than five points on average out of 100 for each of four subjects.
Of the 90,000 students who applied for university admission, some 86,000 secured a place, said the Education Ministry.
Only 3,000 students - or 4 per cent - were turned away, according to ministry results released on Wednesday.
The admission rate has risen sharply in recent years, as a disproportionately large number of universities vie for a dwindling pool of students.
Last year, the acceptance rate was 91 per cent. In 2005, it was 89 per cent.
But while the admission rate hit a record high this year, the entry score plunged to a new low.
The lowest admission score was 18.47 points out of a total of 400 for four subjects.
In contrast, the lowest admission score was 100.59 points last year.
The latest results have thrown the spotlight on an issue of growing concern: lax admission criteria which have affected the quality of tertiary education in Taiwan.
The root of the problem, say observers, lies with the fact that there are simply too many universities in Taiwan.
The sheer number of tertiary institutions is widely seen as a result of the government's controversial education reforms, launched in the mid-1990s, to popularise tertiary education.
To achieve the target, more high schools were established, enrolment for universities was expanded and vocational colleges were upgraded to full-fledged universities.
As a result, the number of tertiary institutions surged to 163 last year, from 139 a decade ago.
To compete for students, universities - especially the less competitive ones - resorted to lowering their entry requirements.
Taiwan's falling birth rate has further aggravated the problem.
The island's birth rate hit a record low of 1.1 last year, one of the lowest in Asia.
'It boils down to the debate over which is more important when it comes to promoting tertiary education: equity or quality? Taiwan appears to favour the former,' said Professor Fang Der-long, who heads the Department of Education at the Kaohsiung Normal University.
'But it is true that we are witnessing a stratification of Taiwan's tertiary education because the standards of the cohort are so diverse,' he told The Straits Times.
To gain admission to top-notch universities like the National Taiwan University, a student needs to score 400 points or more for at least five subjects.
In a bid to arrest the declining standards, the Education Ministry said it may impose a minimum entry requirement with effect from next year's university intake.
The ministry said it is also looking into a grading system for tertiary institutions.
Universities which fail to make the grade could be forced to cut down their intake or barred from enrolling new students.
The ministry is also urging poorly managed private universities to close down, merge with other institutions, or convert to elementary or high schools.
Some universities, however, argue that a better solution would be to allow schools to enrol mainland students.
But President Chen Shui-bian has rejected the idea, saying such a move could open the door for Chinese nationals to compete against Taiwanese for jobs in Taiwan.
If nothing is done to address the problem, the Education Ministry says the admission rate could hit 100 per cent next year.
By then, it would be impossible not to be able to get a place in university.
hwee@sph.com.sg
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