Government-sponsored financial aid awarded to so-called taishang students -- the children of Taiwanese businesspeople enrolled in schools in China -- have been effective in boosting enrollment at specialized schools there, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
MAC Chairman Joseph Wu (
Wu had issued the statement after having met with six representatives from the taishang school in Dongguan, China.
It is estimated that there are roughly 15,000 Taiwanese students in China, most of whom are the children of China-based Taiwanese businesspeople working and residing in China. About 10 percent of those attend one of two taishang schools, both of which are run and taught by Taiwanese teachers in accordance with the curriculum and texts used in Taiwan.
The majority of Taiwanese families, however, opt to enroll their children in local Chinese schools to avoid the high tuition costs of taishang schools. According to the MAC, representatives of the schools yesterday said that a NT$30,000 subsidy has been especially helpful in allowing families with more than one child in school to attend "taishang" schools.
While the NT$30,000 grant has been welcomed by eligible recipients as much needed financial aid for families unable to enjoy the benefits of the low-cost educational system offered in Taiwan, critics have accused the government of unfairly offering taishang students and their families special treatment.
However, Wu yesterday countered the criticism by saying that educational resources enjoyed by students here far outweighed those given to taishang students.
"Middle and elementary schools students in Taiwan enjoy educational resources of NT$90,000 per student on average," Wu said.
Wu also said that taishang students were not the only recipients of such grants, pointing out that students being educated in other overseas Taiwanese schools were subsidized NT$23,000 per student each year.
In the past, educational policies aimed at providing an incentive for taishang students to choose Taiwanese colleges over Chinese colleges.
Currently, taishang schools in China are barred from educating students beyond the high-school level.
In addition, Wu pointed out that educational material and text books used in taishang schools are often subjected to censorship by Chinese authorities, resulting in what has been seen as a substantial disadvantage for taishang students in the college entrance exams required for matriculation at Taiwanese colleges.
In previous months, debate has ensued over whether affirmative action policies should be changed to categorize taishang students as disadvantaged and hence eligible for automatic score enhancements on the college entrance exams.
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