◎ Xiao Xihui
Chiang Deli, the son of Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan, has American citizenship and was admitted to the international exchange student program organized by the Taipei City Education Bureau, causing controversy over his qualifications. (File photo)
There is a dispute over the qualifications of Taipei City’s international exchange student study program for the 115th academic year. Jiang Deli has American nationality and was accepted into the program. The exchange destination is the United States.
The official plan announced by the Beijing Municipal Education Bureau clearly stipulates that admission only means obtaining recommended qualifications, and students must still undergo placement review in the destination country; "If they fail to pass the review or cannot obtain a student visa, their admission qualifications will be cancelled."
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The U.S. Department of State stipulates that U.S. consular officials shall not issue student visas to persons who have been confirmed as U.S. citizens to enter the United States as foreigners. Therefore, the visa procedures for U.S. citizens to come to the United States are different from those for ordinary Taiwanese students to apply for exchange in the United States.
The Beijing Municipal Education Bureau stated that the program has no nationality restrictions; whether students need a visa depends on the regulations of the destination country. If they already have legal entry qualifications, they do not need to obtain a separate student visa.
The Beijing Municipal Education Bureau stated that whether students need a visa depends on the regulations of the destination country. If they already have legal entry qualifications, they do not need to obtain a separate student visa. (File photo)
This explanation raises three issues that need clarification.
First, since U.S. citizens cannot obtain a U.S. student visa as a foreigner, how does the provision in the brochure that "failure to obtain a student visa will result in disqualification" apply to U.S. citizens?
Second, did Jiang Deli declare U.S. citizenship when he applied? When will the review unit be informed? If it is known in advance, under which provision is it determined to be eligible? There is currently no evidence to prove that Jiang Deli deliberately concealed his U.S. nationality. These issues should be clarified with the registration form and qualification review records.
The third is the system design and policy purpose. According to the Education Bureau’s explanation of “no nationality restrictions”, in principle, American students who meet other qualifications in the brochure will not be excluded from studying in the United States simply because they have American nationality.
However, one of the purposes of this program is to allow students to "expand their international horizons and gain a deeper understanding of foreign cultures." In the 2015 academic year, only 25 students were selected. If "destination country nationality" does not affect eligibility at all, then students with U.S. citizenship, or even students who have lived or received education in the United States for a long time, may also compete with other students for limited exchange places in the United States.
This raises an institutional question: Should a public education program with a limited number of places that aims at "in-depth understanding of foreign cultures" clearly regulate the nationality of the destination country in advance, as well as the applicant's existing overseas life and educational background?
The answer requires no guesswork. The application form, qualification review records and related regulations can clarify individual cases; whether the nationality of the destination country affects exchange qualifications should also be clearly specified in the brochure so that all applicants know the rules before registration and apply the same set of standards.
Whether the nationality of the destination country affects exchange qualifications should be clearly specified in the brochure, so that all applicants know the rules before registering and apply the same set of standards; diagram. (AP file photo)
(The author is a freelance writer)
