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 (
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
RSS