The 1984 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service

RESPONSE of  Wu Ta-you
Ramon Magsaysay Award Presentation Ceremonies
31 August 1984 Manila, Philippines

Dr. TA-YOU WU deeply regrets that illness prevents him from being; here this evening to receive this prestigious Award and has asked me to read to you his response as follows:

It is generally agreed that in the last decade Taiwan has made considerable progress in economic development. It is also generally believed that the economic success is in large measure due to four factors: 1) social stability as a result of the land reform program carried out in the early 1950s; 2) the government's policy of a free economy; 3) the policy of building up our agriculture and light industries before attempting heavy industries, and 4) the enterprising qualities of our people. But the important contribution made by our education program may not have been so widely appreciated.

Today over 99 percent of our youth receive nine years of free education. As a result our literacy rate is one of the highest in the world. Our society, therefore, is receptive to new ideas and new technologies.

I am a physicist by profession, but I have always been concerned with the general development of science in my country. In 1967 I was given an opportunity to map out a broad program of science development in Taiwan which covers, in addition to research in basic and applied science, science education at all levels, from high school through college, graduate and advanced study. In the last few years I have started and taken part in a project involving complete review and reorganization of the science curricula of our whole education system, and a rewriting of all science textbooks for our junior and senior high schools. I hope I am not too presumptuous in thinking that our science and education programs over the last 15 years have played some role in the industrial and economic development in recent years in Taiwan. It is my firm conviction that the essential steps toward modernization of a developing country are integration of basic science into education at all levels, and encouragement of basic science research, so that technology transfer and development can find hospitable roots.

It is often said that the Asian region will be the most vibrant area of growth in the next few decades, and it has been my vital concern that in Taiwan we would build up a momentum for participation in this growth.

Again, my sincere thanks to the Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation for their recognition and appreciation of my efforts and meager contribution to a better world consistent with the principles of the Philippine president whose memory lives on in this Award.