A 53-year-old man surnamed Chen was recently admitted to the National Taiwan University College of Medicine, becoming the oldest freshman in the history of Taiwan's most prestigious medical school.
Chen in July passed the hotly contested Joint University Entrance Examination to determine university placements -- the final time Taiwan's educational system will hold such a test -- to become one of the 180 government-financed freshmen admitted to the university's medical school for the 2001 academic year.
The company owner-turned-student was the focus of attention at an orientation program for new NTU medical school students that began Friday.
Chen oriented himself at his new school in the company of his son, who is a fifth-year medical student at the same university.
The younger Chen said that he does not feel "strange" that his father will become a junior university mate of his, saying that "my dad has the right to do whatever he chooses to do."
The older Chen is expected to study at the NTU medical school for seven years before doing his residency at publicly-run medical centers for a further four years.
By the time he successfully completes the program and is ready to serve as a licensed doctor, he will already be 64 years old, one year younger than the age that ordinary public functionaries are eligible to retire at.
Chen's "case" has raised questions about whether there should be admission age restrictions for government-subsidized medical school students and also whether precious educational resources should be spent on people who might be too old to work by the time they complete their studies.
In response to such questions, Tan Kai-yuan (
Tan said that Chen's success on Taiwan's difficult joint entrance exam is confirmation of his study abilities, adding that a person of a more senior age studying medical care for the elderly, which has gained increasing prominence worldwide in the modern age, may have some advantages.
Lee Mao-hua (李懋華), the deputy director of the department's Bureau of Medical Affairs, said that there are no age restrictions on government-subsidized medical school admissions and that the department is not planning to impose any.
"We believe that older people are equally capable of contributing to society and to the country," he added.
The senior Chen defended himself against critics of admitting older students, saying "a fair and equitable society should allow everybody opportunities to challenge themselves."
"Shouldn't social and educational resources be distributed equally to every member of society, even regardless of age?" he asked his opponents.
Chen said that by being admitted he has finally been able to fulfill his dream of 30 years by being admitted to medical school.
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