Education Minister Criticized for Interfering with Academia |吳茂昆遭疑"拔管黑手" 徐國勇:管違法兼職

The Ministry of Education rejected the appointment of Kuan Chung-ming as the upcoming president of National Taiwan University. The controversy has led to a major backlash from academia and the public. Many have criticized incumbent Education Minister Wu Maw-kuen for getting involved in the decision. Cabinet Spokesperson Hsu Kuo-yung claimed that Kuan had taken up key positions in Taiwan Mobile which might be a conflict of interest.


The Ministry of Education rejected the appointment of Kuan Chung-ming as the upcoming president of National Taiwan University. The move, considered by many as governmental interference, has drawn a strong backlash from academia and the public alike. In a recent radio interview, Cabinet Spokesperson Hsu Kuo-yung said that Kuan had taken up three key positions at Taiwan Mobile, and only one of the three was legal. Hsu also said that Kuan began to receive a salary since August, whereas the university's committee only approved of his position on September 22. Hsu also said that the university and Taiwan Mobile had both broken laws in signing an industry-university cooperation agreement.

Before signing the industry-university cooperation agreement, Kuan should not have received a salary from National Taiwan University without the university's approval. The university and its committee also need to take their share of the responsibility since they didn't properly disclose that information.

Asked about Kuan Chung-ming's plan to seek legal justice on the matter, Hsu said that he is confident that the government will win the lawsuit. However, KMT Lawmaker Ko Chih-en revealed that Education Minister Wu Maw-kuen had a hand in disapproving Kuan's candidacy before he became minister, as he once participated in an interdepartmental meeting on the matter. Wu responded to the matter today for the first time.

My background is in science, therefore I was invited to weigh in on the case on an academic basis. They wanted me to provide academic opinions on the matter. (Did former Education Minister Pan Wen-chung invite you?) Yes.

Despite Wu Maw-kuen's stress on the importance of autonomy for universities, KMT Spokesperson Hung Meng-kai protested and pointed out the fact that the education ministry meddled with the affairs of a university.

He (Education Minister Wu Maw-kuen) needs to explain why the education minister has the right to stop an appointed university president from taking office.