Print

Mail

wiki links

Amendment would create opportunities for people without high-school education

A proposed legislative amendment by the Cabinet would create opportunities for people with no high-school degree to pursue a college education.

"As long as the applicant is above 25 years of age and has at least four years of working experience, he or she could qualify to take the college entrance exam," Cabinet spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said at a press conference following the Cabinet's weekly meeting yesterday.

The proposed amendment to the Supplementary and Continuing Education Law (補習及進修教育法) was inspired by the Swedish education system, in which a greater number of people have access to college-level education, Cheng said.

The amendment will be submitted to the legislature for final approval next week, he said.

Another proposed amendment to the law suggested that cram schools, with the exception of kindergartens, would be prohibited from taking in children below the age of six.

"This ban would apply to all cram schools, except those giving art lessons or specializing in sports and the physical development of children," Cheng said.

"Schools found to have broken that law would face fines ranging from NT$50,000 to NT$200,000 and the possibility of having their license suspended," he said.

Quoting the amendment, Cheng said that pre-school education should focus on health, morals and ethics.

All other topics -- except those helping physical development -- should be banned, he said, to protect young children's mental and physical health.

"Generally speaking, this is a ban to help avoid the potential abuse of our children's talents," Cheng said.

"Some things can wait but others can't. This is something we have to learn [as a society]," he said.
This story has been viewed 1281 times.