Academician Ovid J.L. Tzeng and two other former Ministers of Education, Dr. Jei-Cheng Cheng and Dr. Ching-Ji Wu were recently awarded the 1st Class Professional Education-Culture Medal by the Ministry of Education (MOE) on March 15, 2012 for their contribution to education promotion.

Academician Tzeng served as the 20th Minister of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from May 2000 to February 2002. During his term in office, he promoted reading activities, information education and life education, advocated information ethics and moral principles in education, and published the white paper on creativity education. He also activated the “Aim for Top University Project” (informally called the “Five-Year NT$50 Billion Project”), and the “Project of Pedagogic Excellence”, leading education in Taiwan into a new era.

During his term as Minister without Portfolio from 20 May 2008 to February 2012, Academician Tzeng directed the Ministry of Education and relevant departments to finish the Human Resource Development Program. He held the “National Conference on Human Resource Cultivation” which discussed strategies for human resource cultivation, maintaining highly-educated manpower and inviting top experts from all over the world. Dr. Tzeng also assisted Executive Yuan in reviewing Taiwan’s twelve-year public education. He further convened a team with the aim of expanding the international market for Taiwan higher education through a plan to promote Taiwan higher education to Southeast Asia, and the “Study-in-Taiwan Enhancement Program.”

Dr. Tzeng also convened a team with the aim of promoting tourism of Taiwan and combining culture and tourism. Dr. Tzeng further integrated the Ministry of Education, Council for Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tourism Bureau and Taiwan e-Learning and Digital Archives Program with the aim of advancing the Executive Yuan’s Taiwan Academy Policy and building the “Taiwan Academy” which was set up to conduct academic research and promote Chinese culture.

The 1^st Class Professional Education-Culture Medal is awarded to people who have made a special contribution to the development of education, culture and academy, as well as to the development of the arts, physical education and international cultural exchange in order to enhance the overall level of education and culture.