National Taiwan University’s (NTU) Action Alliance for University Autonomy yesterday accused the minister of education and a ministry employee of malfeasance in connection with the stalled confirmation of university president-elect Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔).
The alliance filed a lawsuit against Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) and Department of Personnel Director Chen Kun-yuan (陳焜元), while about a dozen professors and students from the university, along with some alumni protested outside the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office.
The protesters held banners that read “Safeguard university autonomy” and “How much longer must NTU take the insults?”
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
Chou Chung-hsi (周崇熙), a School of Veterinary Medicine professor and one of the alliance’s founders, said the university has been without a formal president since Yang Pan-chyr (楊泮池) stepped down in June last year.
The lack of leadership has created great difficulties in recruiting talent and conducting academic exchanges, Chou said.
Contract employees received their last payment last month because the university’s acting president does not have the power to approve budgets, Chou said, adding that this has forced many of those with contracts to resign.
Accusing the Ministry of Education of procrastination, Chou said the aim of the lawsuit was to encourage it to approve Kuan’s election as soon as possible.
“[Kuan’s] appointment is a very simple case, but the government has invested so many resources to investigate him and allowed the process to drag on for so long,” he said.
The lawsuit was collectively filed by 36 teachers, students and alumni, he added.
“Many people want professor Kuan to address the public and help clarify things, but let’s be honest, even if he did that today, would he be approved tomorrow? Would they believe what he says?” Chou asked.
Whether it be Kuan or Minister of the Interior Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮), “academic exchanges should always be encouraged,” he said.
The ones who should be condemned are those who know that academic exchanges are perfectly normal, yet decide to stigmatize such activities, he said.
The university’s selection committee on Jan. 5 voted for Kuan, who was originally scheduled to take office on Feb. 1.
However, accusations of conflict of interest, plagiarism and illegally teaching in China have delayed his appointment.
The University Act (大學法) and the Constitution require the education ministry to approve each university president’s appointment.
The education ministry formed a task force to investigate the allegations, which is expected to reach a conclusion later this month.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member Yu Shu-hui (游淑慧) earlier this week accused Yeh of having illegally taught at two law schools in China.
Yeh said he only gave some lectures and was not formally hired by the Chinese universities, but the allegation has led to criticism that the ministry has followed a double standard in the way it has dealt with accusations against the two men.
Additional reporting by Wu Po-hsuan
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS