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Students missing classes to promote flora expo: DPP councilor

“This should be a voluntary activity, but we did not have the chance to say no.” — a parent

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilors Huang Hsiang-chun (黃向群) yesterday accused the Taipei City Government of forcing Taipei Yenping Elementary School to cancel classes so that hundreds of students could help promote the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo.

A total of 365 students had to miss class yesterday morning because of rehearsals for an activity today to promote the 365-day countdown to the expo. Some parents said the city government was sacrificing the children's education for the promotion of the event.

“The city government mobilized more than 1,000 students at the Deaflympics earlier this year, and now students in Taipei are skipping classes again to help promote the Flora Expo,” Huang said at the Taipei City Council.

Huang said that while the activity was designed by Ogilvy Public Relations, which won the bid to promote the event, the city government should supervise its activities and stop the company from using students as free promotion tools.

A parent surnamed Lin said the school did not inform parents about the rehearsal and activity until Monday.

“This should be a voluntary activity, but we did not have the chance to say no,” she said.

Hsiao Chun-jie (蕭君杰), a division chief at Taipei City's Department of Information and Tourism, said the department did not know of Ogilvy's plans, adding that it would ask the company to find volunteers if any of the participants decided not to attend the event.

Ogilvy rejected the accusations, saying it had invited the school to participate in the activity in a legal manner.

“The part where the 365 kids hold flowers is designed to show the concept of hope, and we had no intention of forcing any kid to attend the event,” said Hsieh Hsin-hui (謝馨慧), general manager of the company's marketing and public relations department.

The flora expo will be held from Nov. 6 next year to April 25, 2011, at several locations in Taipei City. Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) will preside over an opening ceremony for one of the exhibition halls next to the Taipei Zhongshan Soccer Stadium.
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