Taipei City’s change of policy on the tri-city high school entrance exams failed to end the controversy over its problematic admissions process as a group of parents yesterday slammed Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) for sacrificing the rights of students with his latest decision to allow new admissions.
In a move to calm the furor from students and parents over the controversial process, Hau on Tuesday announced that students who were not satisfied with the application process could reapply on the Internet, with the city’s Department of Education opening up more than 2,200 vacancies for new admissions.
A group of parents, accompanied by New Party Taipei City Councilor Wang Hong-wei (王鴻薇), protested against the policy change yesterday, saying the new process was further damaging their children.
A mother surnamed Chang (張) said her daughter decided to take the second joint high school entrance exam last week after failing the first exam in May and that the new admissions process was unfair to those who made the effort to participate in the second exam.
“Hau and the city government said the policy change would make no difference for students as they have been given a second chance, but that is wrong. It has made a huge difference to students and parents who need to go through the admissions process all over again,” she said.
Wang said the city has broken the rules and violated exam principles and that the Hau administration should take full responsibility for the policy flip-flop.
The tri-city high school exams, which are used in Taipei, New Taipei City (新北市) and Keelung, were held in May and last week as part of the three cities’ single-textbook policy. They sparked a furor after students complained about the problematic application process because of “ambiguous admissions thresholds.”
Hau yesterday continued to defend the policy while appearing apologetic in an interview with the News98 radio station.
“There’s nothing wrong with the policy itself, but the admissions process was problematic. We are trying to fix the problem with the new admission and it would be unfair to junior high school students if we change the exam next year,” he said.
The single-textbook policy was the result of a confrontation between the Hau administration and then-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) central government in 2007, when Hau criticized the Ministry of Education’s multiple-textbook policy and insisted on standardizing textbooks in schools.
When reached by reporters yesterday, Control Yuan member Chao Jung-yao (趙榮耀) said he would propose to the Educational and Cultural Committee that the case be investigated. If the proposal passes, the Control Yuan would conduct an investigation into whether there was any administrative negligence on the part of Hau and other officials.
Meanwhile, DPP Chairperson presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said the controversy facing the tri-city high school entrance exams was the result of local governments disrespecting professionals’ views and their insistence to be at odds with the central government.
Additional reporting by Chen Hui-ping and Staff Writer
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique