President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of February 21 with Taiwan's representation to the International Junior Science Olympiad 2011. The president extended his congratulations to the students for their outstanding performance, and to their instructors and advisors for their guidance.
The president noted that this was the 8th International Junior Science Olympiad, that Taiwan has sent a delegation to participate in the event each time, and that the performance of Taiwan's delegation has stood out each year. Starting in 2004, the Taiwan delegation has either won first place or second place each year, and in each edition of the event, Taiwan participants have won at least four gold medals. Taiwan continued its winning streak at the most recent Olympiad, taking the championship again. In the most recent event, 228 junior high school students from 40 countries participated. All of Taiwan's six participants came away with gold medals, and one student, Chang Bo-jyun (張博鈞), was the Best Theory Winner. The team's performance this time around was nothing short of stellar, the president said.
President Ma pointed out that the most important facet of science education is that it nurtures a sense of curiosity in students, who then posit hypotheses, seek supporting evidence, and complete research. This is what drives progress in human society. Taiwan, which has few natural resources but is visited by many natural disasters, was aptly described by noted New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman as a country that drills its people, not its ground. Indeed, the government has consistently placed heavy emphasis on science education. Junior high and high school students from Taiwan have put in outstanding performances at various international competitions in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and geo-sciences. This highlights the success of Taiwan's science education, he said.
In terms of funding for education, the president remarked that education is an investment for the future. Since he took office in May 2008, funding for public education has risen by an average of about NT$18 billion per year. The Executive Yuan last year amended the statutory minimum for funding of public education. Prior to the amendment, the combined appropriations of all levels of government for public education had to be no less than 21.5% of average net annual revenues over the three years prior to the budgeting year. The amendment has raised this minimum to 22.5%. In the future, this will increase education budgets by about NT$20 billion annually.
President Ma also stated that in order to create even broader global perspectives among Taiwan's youth, the ROC has already signed working holiday agreements with Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the UK. These pacts are aimed at encouraging students who are at least 18 years old to consider going overseas to experience different cultures.
President Ma then mentioned the recent outstanding performance of Jeremy Lin (林書豪) in the National Basketball Association of the United States. The president said that this corroborates Harvard Medical School Professor Dr. John J. Ratey 's contention that athletics strengthen not only one's physique, but also one's psychological wellbeing, and can help to make people smarter. Lin's skill in running the offense, as well as his excellent ball handling, coordination, and judgment, all show the importance of intelligence in sports, he commented.
President Ma stated that in the course of their participation in the Olympiad, the students will no doubt have had chances to rub elbows with many of their peers overseas and learn about science education from them. The president said he hopes that everyone will continue to work to further hone their expertise in the field of science.
The students winning medals in the International Junior Science Olympiad 2011–Chang Bo-jyun, Hsu Shiuan-hao (徐暄皓), Chang Cyuan-han (張巏瀚), Huang Jian-tong (黃建桐), Yang Tsung-shan (楊宗山), and Pan Kung-you (潘功祐) – were accompanied to the Presidential Office by Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧) to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was Deputy Secretary-General to the President Liu Bao-guey (劉寶貴).