The school reconstruction task force formed by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and local governments has reached an initial blueprint concerning how to proceed with reconstruction projects for schools damaged in the 921 earthquake, Vice Minister of Education Fan Sun-lu (范巽綠) said yesterday.
"Communication between the central and local governments is indispensable to facilitate the reconstruction projects. This is why we went to visit the quake-stricken regions once the task force was established," Fan said.
"Only through constant contact with local officials can we be updated with their real reconstruction needs," she said.
Fan last week traveled to five quake-hit counties, along with Minister of Education Ovid Tzeng (
Since Tzeng took office, he has repeatedly said that reconstruction of schools in quake-hit areas will be the top priority of his administration.
Recent reports said the MOE had previously suggested entrusting reconstruction projects to four professional construction management (PCM) companies, because the scope and complexity of the task preclude the ministry's ability to properly monitor the job.
PCMs are expected to apply improved management techniques in the planning, design and implementation of the reconstruction plan, saving costs and ensuring higher quality.
However, local government officials and local school authorities have raised concerns about how to choose quality PCMs and whether the companies selected will monopolize the reconstruction projects. Questions have also been raised as to whether the MOE will be able to fulfill its supervisory role in the projects.
Fan dismissed such worries, saying "PCMs merely assist in picking qualified architects, handling the bidding process for the contractors, and providing professional counsel on the bidding documents and operational measures. City governments and the school authorities are still in complete charge of the whole bidding process. Therefore, there should be no concerns about the PCMs monopolizing the process," added Fan.
According to the latest reports, 45 out of the total 174 schools in need of reconstruction decided to carry out their own renovations and rebuilding. The estimated reconstruction costs for these schools is about NT$610 million.
The remaining 129 schools are willing to receive assistance from PCMs, which have been allotted a budget of approximately NT$4.8 billion.
So far, Ya-hsin Company (
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
By refusing to agree spending increases to appease US President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to derail a summit that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte needs to run smoothly for the sake of the military alliance’s future survival. Ahead of yesterday’s gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, things were going off the rails. European officials have expressed irritation at the spoiler role that Sanchez is playing when their No. 1 task is to line up behind a pledge to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Rutte needed to keep Spain in line while preventing others such as Slovakia
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
RSS