The 30th International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC) in Taiwan
"When the world faces a democratic crisis, there is an urgent need for democratic education." This call was made by Kateryna Botvinnik, co-founder of the Ukrainian democratic education institution VilnOsvita and chair of the 2019 International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC), along with Yaacov Hecht, the "father of democratic education" and former chief advisor to six Israeli Ministers of Education, during the 30th International Democratic Education Conference.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the International Democratic Education Conference (IDEC). The current IDEC is organized by Taiwan's Humanity School, Holistic School, and Zanfu Academy graduates, who have been advocating for this event since their high school years. The conference, held from July 20 to 28, is hosted in Taiwan for the first time. Over the course of the event, prominent figures from the global education community gather in Taipei and Yilan for more than 30 keynote speeches and over 50 open space activities (discussions, forums, or workshops organized by the participants themselves). These activities range from discussions on educational policies and practices in different countries, cultural education exchanges initiated by students, to explorations of peace amidst geopolitical conflicts, attracting nearly 600 participants from five continents.
International participants have recognized Taiwan's "world-class experimental education and diversified educational policies," and are impressed by Taiwan's democratization and publicization of education, considering it a prime example for the next wave of global educational democratization.
Before the closing of IDEC, Taiwanese and international democratic education advocates convened for the "Global Democratic Education Declaration and Press Conference," issuing a six-point declaration: "Democratic Education for Peace," "Revisiting and Reconstructing Publicness," "World-Class Experimental Education," "International Cooperation for Mutual Benefit," "Implementation of Democratic Decision-Making," and "Continuous Discussion and Iteration."
Democratic Education for Peace
According to IDEC, democratic education and the democratization of education are intertwined. This means embedding the values of democracy and publicness in teaching, relationships between parents, teachers, and students, school governance, and even in the legislative and implementation processes of educational policies. It involves appreciating differences through dialogue, learning to take responsibility through self-determination, and promoting common good through cooperation.
Former chair of the New Zealand-Australia Democratic Education Alliance, Cecelia Bradley, has observed for decades that unlike traditional education, which teaches competition from a young age, graduates of democratic schools worldwide are often engaged in altruistic work, contributing to social welfare in various ways. If democratic education is widely implemented, it could promote social justice and the well-being of all.
Kateryna and Yaacov, who overcame great difficulties to attend IDEC from war-torn Ukraine and Israel, respectively, pointed out that while we call ourselves democratic societies, most schools remain authoritarian. How can children suddenly become democratic citizens at eighteen? If children only rely on those in power to arbitrate disputes and have never learned to understand each other and resolve conflicts on their own, how can we prevent wars? In the face of increasing geopolitical conflicts, to stop the resurgence of authoritarianism and prevent wars, the world must expand the implementation of democratic education and the democratization of education.
Revisiting and Reconstructing Publicness
Nepalese yogi and principal of Sri Aurobindo Yoga Mandir Vedananda Pandeya, and Tania Corbett, a Maori educator and reformer from New Zealand, view democratic education as essential from the perspective of educational diversity and equality. They argue that the singularity of traditional exam-oriented education, like the single standard of "developed and underdeveloped countries," often erases the unique cultural resources and advantages of so-called "disadvantaged" groups, worsening their disadvantaged situation. Autonomous learning and educational democratization allow children from different cultures to develop their own cultural advantages instead of being disadvantaged under mainstream cultural domination. However, as autonomous learning is necessary to support the diverse advantages of the so-called "disadvantaged," it should not become a privilege of the wealthy.
World-Class Experimental Education
Through years of participation in IDEC and this visit to Taiwan, international experts have found that Taiwan already possesses "world-class experimental education policies" that help realize democratic education and the democratization of education.
"Taiwan's experimental education policies allow alternative and democratic schools to flourish, making it a leader in Asia," said Jeong Il Chon, chairman of the Korean Association for Alternative Education. South Korea and Taiwan share similar historical and cultural backgrounds, both having experienced Japanese colonization, authoritarian rule, and democratization, as well as a highly competitive mainstream education culture. However, in South Korea, only about 100 of the 600 to 800 alternative and democratic schools are officially recognized by the government, making Taiwan enviable.
Mike Weimann, co-founder of Netzwerk-Schule and children's rights organization KRä.TZä in Germany, and chair of IDEC 2005, stated that in Germany and many other countries, children are often treated as "unfinished humans," with their human rights status comparable to serfs. Compared to Germany, witnessing the autonomy granted to students by Taiwan's experimental education system and their performance, Mike sees it as a significant milestone for global children's rights.
Former chair of the New Zealand-Australia Democratic Education Alliance, Cecelia Bradley, noted that not only in Japan and South Korea but also in New Zealand and Australia, the phenomenon of children becoming disengaged and teachers experiencing burnout is increasingly common. Taiwan's legal and practical experience with the Three Experimental Education Laws offers an empirical solution to this issue.
Japanese sociologist and founder of TDU Democratic University, Asakura Kageki, highlighted in concrete research that Taiwan's experimental education is not only leading in Asia but also globally. Research shows that most democratic schools worldwide have a scale of dozens of students. Taiwan's flexible Three Experimental Education Laws cater to this educational need. Moreover, globally, only New Zealand and Taiwan provide substantial funding for individual autonomous learning, making them the two most advanced countries in the world.
International Cooperation for Mutual Benefit
In addition to advanced policies, Asakura Kageki and Yaacov pointed out that Taiwan's local experimental education system has reached international standards. For example, Humanity School, Holistic School, Zanfu Academy, and SeedlingSchool, which have long participated in IDEC, have provided not only Taiwanese educational theories and methodologies that are comparable to those in Europe and America but also showcased international-level capabilities and democratic literacy through their students and graduates' performance. The fact that this international IDEC conference is organized by graduates of Taiwan's democratic education is the best evidence.
Asakura Kageki also suggested that besides introducing foreign educational theories and methodologies, Taiwanese institutions such as the National Academy for Educational Research and the Experimental Education Center should invest in research, teacher training, and consultation mechanisms to support the development of local educational theories and methodologies as described above. This would not only provide Taiwan with internationally envied policy systems but also help it become a representative of Asian educational theory and practice, exporting these to other countries, including Europe and America.
Yaacov emphasized that in addition to the need for democratic education amid democratic crises, healthy technological development and industrial transformation also require democratic education that combines adaptability and humanistic care. Citing the significant contributions of graduates from Israel's thirty-something democratic schools to Israel's knowledge economy over the past three decades, he predicted, "If Taiwan's experimental education develops well, its international influence could become Taiwan's next Nvidia!"
Adler Yang , a board member of the Japan Association of Synthetic Anthropology who has been involved in related research and promoted experimental higher education and educational diplomacy, echoed Yaacov's sentiments. He proposed concrete suggestions: since innovative education methods like autonomous learning and democratic education still face legal restrictions and obstacles worldwide, even in "advanced" countries like Germany and the Nordic countries, Taiwan could consider promoting policies to allow overseas applications for registration as Taiwanese experimental education institutions. This could foster networks of democratic education advocates and pro-Taiwan individuals globally, making education a "national treasure" thirty years from now.
Implementation of Democratic Decision-Making
Despite Taiwan's impressive achievements in educational democratization and experimental education, the conference highlighted many common global challenges that remain.
"It's regrettable to hear that Taiwan still faces similar challenges," said Jeong Il Chon. Education is a long-term project, but in South Korea, changes in leadership often lead to shifts in educational policies and philosophies, resulting in significant changes to the overall planning of educational democratization every few years. Personnel changes in the competent authorities severely impact educational innovation experimental projects or experimental schools. He urged that, in both South Korea and Taiwan, decisions related to educational reform and innovation should be well-democratically implemented to avoid autocracy and corruption.
Chen Yiguang, principal of Yesuki School and founder of the Taiwan-Japan Homeschooling Exchange Platform, also reminded that the Taiwan Legislative Yuan amended Article 6, Paragraph 2 of the National Education Law in June 2023 to assist the development of experimental education. Still, the Ministry of Education has not yet announced the relevant subsidy regulations for experimental education a year later. He called on the Taiwanese government to respect the will of the highest public opinion body and announce the subsidy regulations within this year.
Amukta Mahapatra, a consultant for UNICEF and founder of the Indian Democratic Education and Montessori Teacher Training Center, heard during the conference that even some of Taiwan's well-known democratic schools, despite their international reputation, still occasionally face difficulties in cooperating with the government at home. She urged the Taiwanese government to cherish its innovative and high-quality experimental education achievements, expand the implementation of educational democratization and diversity, and not destroy Taiwan's internationally envied educational treasures.
Continuous Discussion and Iteration
Associate Professor of Educational Administration at National Pingtung University and former Director of the Pingtung County Education Department Wang Huilan, along with founding director of the Alternative and Experimental Education Association Chen Zhenkang, summarized the views of Taiwanese experts at the conference, emphasizing that experimental education is a vital field of educational innovation in Taiwan. The public spirit of educational democratization over the past thirty years should continue to be implemented. To ensure effective coordination and communication among all parties involved in experimental education, government authorities at all levels should regularly hold consultation and coordination meetings with the main bodies running experimental education. These meetings should aim to understand the current situation, review the rights and actual problems of all parties, and jointly develop solutions (including legal amendments and practical improvements). Furthermore, to deeply understand the achievements of experimental education and optimize its policies, the government should invest resources to continuously track students' growth paths with the goal of promoting their well-being.
Despite international participants' high recognition of Taiwan's diversified and highly flexible experimental education system, Ding Zhiren, executive director of the Taiwan Alliance for Re-Publicization of Education, bluntly stated that although early experimental education was promoted by social activists, foreign educational advocates, and families with special educational philosophies for their children, about one-quarter of applicants now abuse the space for experimental education. Issues such as using experimental education as a pretext to divide the profits from corporate land purchases and construction, avoiding regular teaching to focus on entrance exam preparation, and excluding special needs students from classes have emerged, violating the "non-profit," "autonomous learning," and student welfare principles established during legislation.
To prevent the deterioration and collapse of experimental education, Ding Zhiren believes it is necessary to face the current reality of experimental education and work together to initiate a "reboot" of Taiwan's experimental education. He called for a national conference on experimental education to elevate the discussion. The focus should not be on "profiting experimental education" but on "benefiting Taiwan's education," adhering to the "non-profit" spirit of Taiwan's experimental education, upholding public principles, promoting collaboration between civil society and officials, and courageously amending laws to address the issues of socio-economic inequality in experimental education.
In response to the opinions of domestic and international educators and scholars, Legislator Chen Peiyu pointed out that Taiwan's experimental education, conducted in diverse values and ways, is indeed an indispensable force in Taiwanese society - it was in the past, it is now, and it will be in the future! Faced with unpredictable yet rapidly changing technological development, the stability and developmental potential that education can provide is an important social infrastructure. Therefore, the publicization of experimental education requires more discussion and dialogue.
Chen Peiyu believes that experimental education has developed for many years, and in fact, many methods and concepts can be exchanged and dialogued with the mainstream education system, benefiting both sides. She promised that her research office would conduct discussions on the legal aspects of experimental education in the future, aiming to transform experimental education from degeneration to re-quality transformation, and welcomes everyone's efforts.
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