About 240,000 elementary school students nationwide started the new school year yesterday, but many schools in Taipei City delayed the start of school for first graders until today.
The Taipei City Government Department of Education yesterday expressed shock upon learning that some schools had chosen a different start date without informing the department. Department officials said they would ask these schools not to deviate from the formal start date next year.
The schools that changed the start date included Huaisheng, Wanda, Wenchang, Nangang, Neihu and Lishan elementary schools.
Tang Rui-hsueh (湯瑞雪) of the Division of Elementary Education said the reason schools were required to conform to one date across the board was to ensure the correct number of school days for all students. Individual schools do not have the option of changing the start date, she said.
Lin Shih-chung (林世忠), vice president of the United Parents Association of Elementary Schools, said it was unreasonable for the schools to choose a different start date, adding that schools should make such decisions based on the best interests of the students, not the administrators.
In response, the schools said the delay was not an act of defiance against the department’s policies but rather intended to allow teachers and administrators one day to focus on returning students before the new students arrived.
Wanda Elementary School principal Wu Wei-zeng (吳煒增) said that the school was busy with returning students yesterday, so welcoming new students today would be better for everyone.
The first day of school is usually a busy day involving a lot of paperwork, Huaisheng Elementary School Principal Ting Fu-shou (丁福壽) said. The delay would ensure the new students received the warmest welcome, he said.
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