The Ministry of Education will meet next week to investigate why too few students were allocated to some schools, a ministry spokesperson said yesterday.
The fiasco erupted on Wednesday when errors were found on lists the ministry published of students to be admitted to the nation's high schools, vocational schools and junior colleges.
The placement lists are based mainly on students' scores in basic academic tests and the preferences of the students.
Several high schools in Taipei and Kaohsiung districts, however, found that the number of students allocated to them was less than the number of vacancies.
Taichung Polytechnic College, which was organizing student allocations on behalf of the ministry, discovered that the number of places set aside for handicapped and Aboriginal students at these schools had in effect been allocated twice, meaning that the number of other students placed was fewer than the schools had requested.
Responding to criticism of the ministry, spokesperson Lee Ming (
"The ministry's top priority is to make sure students are placed satisfactorily," Lee said.
"After that has been taken care of, the ministry will definitely re-evaluate [the system] and consider punishments."
Lee's remarks came in response to PFP legislators Shen Chih-hwei (沈智慧) and Chin Huei-chu (秦慧珠), who held a press conference yesterday to demand that Minister of Education Huang Jong-tsun (黃榮村) step down to take responsibility for the errors.
"This fiasco is not only wearing on the students and their parents but also violates students' education rights," Shen said. "Huang should take responsibility for this matter."
Although Huang on Thursday apologized for the mistake, he was unavailable for comment on the calls for him to resign yesterday.
However, Chen Te-hua (陳德華), director of the ministry's Technological and Vocational Education Department -- who was in charge of the placement process -- said yesterday he was prepared to take responsibility for any negligence regarding his supervision of the student placement scheme.
A new placement list will be published next Wednesday afternoon, Lu Mu-lin (呂木琳), administrative vice minister, said yesterday.
Many students may be placed at different schools when the new list comes out.
Because some students may be disappointed by their placements on the new lists, the ministry said that students who were assigned to different schools would be allowed to choose between the two schools.
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