Xiaoqinghua students from Pingbei Senior High School bring indigenous traditional knowledge to the international stage
Through the Little Tsinghua program, a collaboration between Tsinghua University and Pingbei High School, five representatives have been selected this year, in partnership with the Taiwan Earth Charter Alliance, to attend the 26th "Caretakers of the Environment International (CEI) Youth Conference," to be held in the Netherlands. The five representatives will present a report titled "Ensuring Future Food Security," allowing the traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples in safeguarding food to shine on the international stage!
Li Tsu-er of the Rukai people (Rukai) from the Wutai tribe in Pingtung, Chien Chia-hsun from the Maolin tribe in Kaohsiung, Hsu Ching of the Paiwan people (Paiwan) from the Dabird tribe in Taitung, Pan Ping-chen from the Chukeng tribe in Pingtung, and Kao Shu-chen of the Amis people (Amis) from the Dulan tribe in Taitung are all second-year students in the Indigenous special class at Pingbei High School. After months of coursework and training, they were selected from among 77 students.
CEI is a global network dedicated to environmental education exchange and innovative thinking among middle school teachers and students. Over the past two years, through the domestic Earth Charter Alliance, it has connected with Indigenous tribes and selected Indigenous high school students to participate in CEI conferences held in various countries.
The theme of this conference is "Sustainable Development through Cross-Border Cooperation," and the Taiwan delegation responded with the theme "Ensuring Future Food Security." Kao Shu-chen, himself from the ocean-oriented Amis people (Amis), explores in "The Impact of Climate Change on Ocean Peoples" the tradition of catching flying fish among the Tao people (Tao, also known as the Yami), also an ocean Indigenous people, which is becoming increasingly rare due to climate change, thereby affecting their culture. To qualify for selection, he attended several days of courses, among which the concept of the blue economy left a particularly deep impression, emphasizing the provision of local employment opportunities that do not harm the environment, which deepened Kao Shu-chen's understanding of the friendly connection between the economy and the environment.
The "Tsinghua Indigenous Education Experimental Special Class," established at Pingbei High School, was set up through a collaboration between Tsinghua University and Pingbei High School. After the August 8 Typhoon disaster in 2009, Tsinghua University, feeling that it was difficult for students from disadvantaged groups to enter national universities, turned its assistance to Indigenous home communities into concrete and long-term practical action, providing a complete talent cultivation program for Indigenous students from the disaster-affected counties and cities of Nantou County, Chiayi County, Tainan County, Kaohsiung City, Pingtung County, and Taitung County. It is hoped that tribal communities can be revitalized in the future. With the support of then-Premier Liu Chao-shiuan, it was quickly put into practice.
The Little Tsinghua program currently has only 2 grade levels and 77 students; 33 in the first year and 44 in the second year. This year, through the "Little Star Program," 42 students have already registered through application for admission without examination, and there are still 18 places available, which will be filled through application-based admission.
However, outside opinions on this program are mixed. Many supporters are moved by it, but there are also voices of doubt, including that it imposes the dominant Han culture on Indigenous peoples and cannot preserve Indigenous culture. This has also made Tsinghua University even more cautious and fully committed. At the seminar on the 22nd, the dean of academic affairs and the co-principal investigators attended throughout and also supported some of the lectures.
One of the co-principal investigators of the program, former Tsinghua University professor Chen Shun-fen, stated that over the past two years adjustments have gradually been made according to the current situation, and since the number of students who were victims of the August 8 Typhoon disaster is not large, the program has also expanded to Indigenous students from 6 counties and cities. In the future, regular reviews will be conducted, and whether to continue enrollment will be decided based on implementation results.
※ This article is published in sync with the Environmental Information Center.