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More families struggling to pay school tuition fees

Children from more than 120,000 families now face difficulties in continuing their compulsory education because their families are unable to afford the tuition fees and lunch costs, the chairman of a private organization set up to assist the unemployed said yesterday.

Chang Chia-hong (張嘉鴻), chairman of the Chinese Employment Association (CEA) (中華民國就業服務協會), made the statement at a press conference organized by the CEA attended by representatives of a local bank, legislators, and celebrities who made donations to help needy students.

The CEA, set up in June last year, consists of business executives, government officials and legislators. It is funded by its members and through donations.

The association provides vocational training and advice to the unemployed about the forms of assistance available to them.

Yesterday's event was to promote a campaign to help families in which at least one parent is unemployed ensure that their children complete compulsory education.

The CEA launched the campaign last October to raise public awareness of the children's plight.

The CEA's estimate is based on the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics' (DGBAS, 主計處) announcement last week that the unemployment rate at the end of the first quarter was 5.14 percent.

Children in Taiwan are obliged to attend school for nine years, from the age of seven until they have completed junior high school. Most of the cost of the schooling is covered by the state, but a charge of between NT$700 and NT$800 per semester is levied on each elementary-school student and between NT$2,000 and NT$3,000 per semester on each junior-high-school student. Meals cost NT$45.

Since September last year, more than 3,000 students in serious need of assistance have been recommended by schools or social communities for CEA funding, but the organization has only been able to assist about 1,000 of them. Asked how many children were absent from school because because their families couldn't pay tuition fees and lunch costs, the organization told the Taipei Times that such information was "confidential."

The CEA warned yesterday of likely social problems if children's educations are interrupted or discontinued, but it expressed gratitude to the government for its support.

"We are pleased to have received support from government departments such as the Ministry of Education since we started the campaign last year," Chang said.

Yang Yu-huei (楊玉惠), of the ministry's Department of Higher Education, told the Taipei Times, "We are pleased that the association has launched this movement. Since the government might not be able to attend to those in need, the association is assisting us in taking care of the minority groups by integrating resources from the general public."

Chang Yue-li (張月麗), a well-known TV presenter who is sponsoring four underprivileged children for six months, said that it is important to help such children because, "By doing so, we might be helping someone who could make a great contribution to society."
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