Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday criticized the education system, saying that the quality of higher education had declined and was a "crisis."
Lu said that a score of just 18 points out of 400 on the college entrance exam would get a student into university this year, adding that the declining quality of higher education was a crisis.
Lu said that universities cannot spend their time and energy jockeying for a bigger share of the "mega fund" that comprises state financing for universities without working to improve the quality of their education and research.
Lu made the remarks during a lunch with reporters at the Presidential Office.
She said that although she is not an education minister or a member of the education reform committee, she believed the education system required thorough examination or the government would pay a high price for ignoring it.
Lu, however, complemented attempts at educational reform, saying that some reform programs had been successful.
Nevertheless, "constant reviews must be conducted to discover any problems that arise along the way," she said.
As she will officially establish the Pacific University Alliance on Monday, Lu said that she hoped the organization would help improve the quality of education.
The alliance, part of the Democratic Pacific Union (DPU), will enable 41 local and international colleges and universities to engage in various exchange programs and offer scholarships.
Founded by Lu in August 2005, the DPU brings together 28 democratic countries from the Asia-Pacific region and aims to promote democracy, peace and prosperity worldwide.
The second annual convention of the DPU will begin in Taipei on Monday. About 100 guests from 33 countries are expected to attend.
The organization has three new member states this year: Colombia, Ecuador and Nauru.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai