Taitung County, Aug. 1 (CNA) The establishment of one new university in each of the three counties in eastern Taiwan Friday serves as an important milestone in the country's efforts to create a more balanced distribution of education resources, President Chen Shui-bian said Friday.
Chen said that for a long time, the Taiwan people have witnessed imbalanced regional development, with southern Taiwan as a whole enjoying less resources than northern Taiwan, and the gap between eastern Taiwan and western Taiwan being even more prominent.
Taking eastern Taiwan as an example, Chen said that although it covers about half the area of Taiwan proper, it has been considered a hinterland for decades, being nicknamed in mandarin Chinese as the "back mountain."
He said that if the government does not make efforts to redress the imbalance, eastern Taiwan will remain as the "back mountain" and continue to witness a rapid greying of its population and a migration by the younger generations out of the region.
The president made the remarks when he addressed a ceremony marking the upgrading of National Taitung Teachers College to the status of National Taitung University, making it the first university in the eastern county of Taitung, where aboriginal citizens make up nearly one-third of the population.
Chen said that the increasing number of universities in rural areas around the island is a manifestation of the government's direct response to the will of the people. It also demonstrates his administration's concern for the welfare of those living in disadvantaged areas, he said.
Following its upgrading, National Taitung University will not only continue to be a cradle of teacher nurturing, it will also become a stronghold of indigenous and Austronesian studies in Southeast Asia, Chen said.
He added that Taitung is Taiwan's most diversified county in terms of aboriginal groups, including the Puyuma, Amis, Bunun, Dawu, Paiwan and Rukai tribes.
Besides, he continued, National Taitung University will also run a sports school to train professional athletes, particularly baseball talent, taking advantage of the fact that Taitung County is the home of the famous Red Leaves baseball team which beat the Japanese World Little League Series champion decades ago when members of the Japanese team visited Taiwan.
Chen offered his appreciation to the Taitung County government for offering a scenic piece of land in Chihpeng for the newly-upgraded university. Chihpeng is known for its natural beauty, with magnificent mountains, rivers, hot springs and aboriginal cultures.