Jianguo High School Students Invited to Chinese Exchange|濟南台辦邀建中交流 8天團費免萬元
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According to recent reports, Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School has been invited to take part in a cultural study activity by the Taiwan affairs office of China's Jinan City. The eight-day program includes visits to various destinations and meals, and costs NT$ 9,250. This amount includes airfare and insurance. Jianguo High School officials have given students a holiday to attend. Some people suspect this has a "unification" undertone. In response, school officials say its students go on overseas trips like this around 10 times a year and students have participated in exchanges in Singapore, Japan and other countries. As teachers that go on the trips get holidays, students of course get the same treatment.
Jinan City's Taiwan affairs office recently invited Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School students to take part in a traditional Chinese education and culture competition and study program. The eight-day, seven-night itinerary includes exchanges with local schools and Shandong University, as well as visits to Daming Lake, a Confucian temple, and other cultural spots. The NT$ 9,250 fee includes airfare and insurance. Jianguo has come under criticism for granting participants a holiday, with certain parties saying the program is "inappropriate" and a step towards unification.
(Criteria include) whether an exchange will foster the educational growth of students, and parental consent. If an exchange is approved, students can decide for themselves if they want to participate. There are no other considerations.
School officials say over 100 Jianguo students take part in 10 to 12 overseas exchanges a year in countries like Singapore and Japan. Whether programs are approved depends on educational value. Jianguo students, meanwhile, say taking part in an exchange does not mean they are being forcibly "unified."
If you choose to go on the trip, that's your decision. There are no political subplots here.
The Taipei City Department of Education says it is processing the paperwork and there is nothing amiss about school-sanctioned holidays for educational exchanges.
Exchange with other schools have to take place during the school year. Students have always been granted holidays for these programs. These programs allow students to see what students at other schools are learning. In most cases, this is part of a student's education and allows them to learn from cultural exchanges.
The Mainland Affairs Council also weighed in, saying activities that fall under the category of general exchanges are "not yet illegal" but it will keep a close watch on similar exchanges in the future.
