Print

Mail

wiki links

Education ministry calls for release of tertiary subsidies

The Ministry of Education lacks policies to improve higher education beyond throwing cash at universities according to the drunken whims of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), pan-blue lawmakers said yesterday, as Vice Minister of Education Chou Tsan-der's (周燦德) pleas for legislators to pass what he described as a vital education budget for tertiary institutions fell mostly on deaf ears.

Chou pleaded in vain with lawmakers in the Education and Culture legislative committee to retroactively free up NT$2 billion (US$60.8 million) of a NT$5 billion budget for last year's "Awards Plan for Outstanding Universities," and approve a separate NT$5 billion budget for this year's awards plan.

Implemented since 2005, the plan allocates generous subsidies to universities to enhance their curricula and pedagogical resources.

Pan-blue lawmakers froze NT$2 billion of the subsidies last year because they alleged the ministry was dispersing the money inconsistently.

Chou denied the allegations, saying that his ministry had allocated the subsidies in a transparent manner. He added that as the 2006-2007 academic year is underway, lawmakers should unfreeze the NT$2 billion from the plan's 2006 budget so that the ministry can continue to subsidize universities ahead of the 2007-2008 academic year.

"This plan is vital to enhancing education on campuses countrywide," he said.

Referring to the fact that Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng (杜正勝) said he had received instructions relating to the plan from the president during a banquet at which alcohol was served, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) said yesterday that the ministry was carelessly throwing around billions of dollars at the drunken whim of the president.

"Come on, this is just something that Chen Shui-bian spouted one night at a banquet, isn't it?" Kuo said.

Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Tsang Tsahn-deng (曾燦燈) demanded that the ministry submit a report to the legislature detailing why some schools had been selected for subsidies ahead of others, and a justification for the amount of the subsidies.

"This plan seems to be full of holes," Tsang said.

The vitriol yesterday was briefly interrupted by sniggers from government officials and reporters in attendance, after Kuo shooed away an attendant pouring tea for guests seated near her. Kuo appeared to be angry that the attendant was getting between her and the cameras, prompting reporters to whisper that the lawmaker's vanity was on full display. As a result, some front-row guests were forced to make do without their tea.
This story has been viewed 1612 times.