Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/07/06
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan
Taipei, July 6 (CNA) Hundreds of university faculty members from around Taiwan on Friday
CNA file photo
urged the government to respect university autonomy and academic freedom, rights they claimed the government has infringed by refusing to confirm Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔) as president of National Taiwan University (NTU).
Representatives from 14 leading universities nationwide attended a press conference in Taipei Friday to announce the establishment of the Taiwan Action Alliance for University Autonomy (TAAUA).
“Gravely concerned about the future of our education system and our rights to university autonomy and academic freedom, …(we) have decided to join forces to defend our rights to university autonomy and academic liberty in Taiwan,” they said in a joint statement.
The TAAUA plans to register with the Ministry of the Interior as a nongovernmental organization to fight for rights they described as being the very basis for preserving the rule of law and democracy. “We strive to stand up against government intervention and political repression in our campuses,” they said in the statement. [FULL STORY]