The Ministry of Education (MOE) released more details yesterday on its plan to allow Chinese students to study at the nation’s higher education establishments, saying it would impose a series of restrictions and conditions on Chinese students to avoid jeopardizing the education and employment opportunities of Taiwanese students.
Under the plan, Chinese students from universities and colleges with “distinguished academic reputations” would be allowed to study in the country, with numbers limited to between 0.5 percent and 1 percent of total nationwide enrollment at colleges, four-year technology institutions and two-year junior technological and vocational education colleges.
The estimated number of Chinese students coming to Taiwan to study each year would be between 1,000 and 2,000, based on the 200,000 vacancies at 170 institutions nationwide, Vice Minister of Education Lu Mu-lin (呂木琳) told the press conference.
Lu said the policy would require amendments to the University Law (大學法), College School Law (專科學校法) and the Statute Governing the Relations Between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例).
If the amendments pass the legislature, the first group of Chinese students could be expected in September at the earliest, Lu said.
Lu said that nine measures to be enacted upon the arrival of the first Chinese students would ensure that the education system, job sector and national security would not be threatened.
The government would not grant Chinese students the “special status” that helps students receive extra credits on their application, as it does with nationals living overseas, Aboriginal students, veterans and others. In addition, the government would not provide scholarships, Lu said.
Lu said, however, that the government would not bar schools from attracting Chinese students with scholarships financed by themselves or other sources.
Chinese students would not take up vacancies for local students, as Chinese students allowed to study in Taiwan would be outside each school’s enrollment quota, he said.
The students would not be allowed to work part-time during their studies, nor would they be allowed to work in the country after graduation. They would also be barred from taking national certificate examinations or public service examinations unless they hold Taiwanese citizenship, Lu said.
Lu said the government would not recognize Chinese medical credentials for the time being as hospital resources for medical students are limited, Lu said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS