■EDUCATION
MOE apologizes over date
The Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday apologized in a statement for mistakenly dating a bylaw on opening Taiwan to Chinese students, and the rules of their stay in Taiwan, before amendments to the Statute Governing Relations between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) had cleared the legislature. Ministry personnel should have left the date of the bylaw blank and waited for the amendments to be passed by the legislature first, the statement said. March 1, 2010, was stated as the date on which the bylaw was promulgated.
■SOCIETY
AIT launches essay content
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) has launched an English-writing contest in celebration of Earth Day on April 22, seeking contributions on innovative strategies to address the issue of climate change, with particular attention to areas for US-Taiwan cooperation. The contest is open to individuals aged 25 and below who live in Taiwan and hold Taiwanese passports, the AIT said in a press statement. The essays, with a maximum word count of 1,000, can focus on public policy, science and technology, public-private partnerships, corporate solutions, or a combination of these and other strategies, it said, adding that the entries will be judged not on the level of English competency, but on the quality of the content. The top two winners will be awarded cash prizes of NT$10,000 and NT$5,000 respectively, the AIT said. The deadline for submission is March 26. Entries should be e-mailed to earthday@mail.ait.org.tw.
■CULTURE
WITBC conference opens
The second World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference (WITBC) will open on Tuesday at the National Museum of Prehistory in Taitung County. The conference, which will be hosted by Taiwan Indigenous Television (TITV) and Public Television Service, aims at providing a platform on which local Aboriginal broadcasters can link with indigenous media worldwide and showcasing Taiwan’s rich and diversified Aboriginal culture and natural beauty, TITV chief executive Masao Aki said yesterday. This year’s event will bring together nine chief executives of Aboriginal TV stations from various countries to discuss the development of indigenous media organizations and the challenges they face in a digital age, Masao said.
■EXPOSITIONS
Orchid show opens today
The Taiwan International Orchid Show will run from today through March 15 in Tainan County’s Houbi Township (後壁) with more than 3,000 orchid varieties on display, organizers said yesterday. The Taiwan Orchid Growers Association, which sponsors the event with the Council of Agriculture, the Tainan County Government and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, said more than 3,000 foreign visitors from 29 countries were expected to visit the show — one of the three biggest in the world. The plants will be exhibited in five thematic pavilions covering a combined area of nearly three hectares, including indoor space of 6,100 ping (20,130m²), the association said. A report in last month’s edition of Flora Culture International said that Taiwan’s orchid exports grew last year despite the global economic downturn. Taiwan’s floral exports last year totaled US$110.7 million, 78 percent of which was generated by orchids.
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