The Taipei City Government will soon launch an exam-free senior high school entrance program for junior high students as part of efforts to implement a 12-year compulsory education system.
The “Northern Star” program, which will be implemented next year, will offer 1,028 junior high school students the opportunity to enter high school and vocational schools solely on their academic performance, the Department of Education said yesterday.
Graduating junior high school students whose average grades are in the top 40 percent in their schools will be eligible to join the program.
Each of the city’s junior high schools will be invited to recommend 10 students to high schools within the city.
Senior high schools will then have to accept up to two students for each class.
No details were available on the criteria that high schools would use to select the students.
About 2.7 percent of Taipei City’s junior high school students will be able to enter high schools through the program, the department said.
Wu Ching-shan (吳清山), commissioner of the department, said the program would prevent high schools from accepting more than two students from the same junior high school and provide more opportunities for students at less competitive schools to enter senior high schools and vocational schools.
The city’s more prestigious senior high schools, such as Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School and Taipei First Girls High School, will be included in the program.
The department said it expected the program to increase the overall quality of senior high and vocational schools and promote the 12-year compulsory education system.
The government intends to abolish entrance exams for 90 percent of junior high graduates when entering senior high schools by 2018.
Under the program, entrance exams would be taken by 10 percent of junior high students willing to take the tests to gain admission to elite high schools.
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