Title: Taiwan's Presbyterians are Divided on the Subject of Theological School Accreditation Taiwan Church News 2820 13-19 March 2006 Reported by Lin Yi-ying. Written by David Alexander
Three theological colleges and one bible college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) are accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in South East Asia (ATESEA). But, along with all the remaining theological and bible colleges in this land, they have not, to date, been accredited by Taiwan's central government ministry of education. That may change, because undergraduate and graduate level degrees in theology and religion are under consideration for validation by the ministry. An amendment to regulations governing private universities and colleges is under consideration which will incorporates religious instruction into its range of approval. New minimum standards for theological and bible colleges, enabling recognition of the degrees they grant alongside other privately operated colleges and graduate schools in this country, have been proposed.
The law on private colleges was amended in April of 2004 to permit then currently government accredited private colleges to offer degrees in religious studies. Its provisions did not extend to existing non-accredited bible and theological colleges and seminaries. On 8th February of 2006 a further revision was put forth, which potentially may be enacted at the end of March, permitting these schools to become accredited as early as next year.
BUT, religious agencies and their associated schools are significantly different from general universities with departments of religious studies. Theological and Bible colleges exist to train and form ministers and church workers. This means that they can require students to attend and participate in religious activities and services as part of their training. Accredited universities are prohibited from such a requirement.
Should a theological of bible college become government accredited it will be required to comply with all rules governing private universities. Its land (2 hectares minimum), structures (180,000 square feet 1512.5 square meters of interior floor space), capital reserves equivalent to 1,269 million Euros (US$1.54 million) as well as meeting minimum qualifications of faculty, support staff, policy and plans and library holdings will all have to meet the norms. And one third of its faculty will be required to hold degrees from accredited universities.
The revisions also envision a "one department-one graduate programme" structure in which all existing undergraduate programmes in music, social work, counseling, education and religion would be combined into a single "Bachelor of Theology" basket, and graduate programmes in divinity, music, and other fields would become one single "graduate department of theology and doctrine."
There is an upside. Schools conforming to the minimum standards would become eligible for government financial support and their students for government sponsored scholarships.
Because responses from theological education leaders within the PCT fall on both sides of the issue, the higher education committee of its General Assembly has requested that affiliated schools suspend their actions to lobby for the revision's acceptance in Taiwan's legislature.
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