President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday instructed the Ministry of Education to review its policy and relax regulations to attract more Chinese students to Taiwan.
The policy, which was launched six months ago, aims to promote cross-strait exchanges in education.
In an effort to protect the rights of local students, however, the government imposed restrictions, including banning Chinese students from taking certification exams and not allowing them to stay in Taiwan after they graduate.
The ministry should examine the policy and adjust some regulations to achieve its goal, Ma said yesterday, speaking to the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Central Standing Committee.
“The policy is part of our goal to strengthen cross-strait exchanges and of course we want to attract great students. But it would be hard to keep talent with too many restrictions, and I think the ministry should discuss [the restrictions] and make the necessary adjustments,” he said.
The KMT’s Central Standing Committee yesterday invited Minister of Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧) to present a report on its education policy. Chang attributed the the lower-than-expected number of Chinese students to the restrictions.
As part of Ma’s cross-strait policies, the ministry began a program last year that opened more than 100 colleges and universities to 2,000 Chinese students each year.
Under the policy, 67 universities are allowed to admit a total of 1,123 Chinese students and 65 technology colleges can take in 877, in line with an annual quota of 2,000 imposed by the government.
The quota should not affect the original recruitment plans of the participating schools and Chinese students are not eligible for scholarships.
Chiang said that 928 Chinese students took advantage of the program to enroll in Taiwanese schools last year and the ministry is reviewing the policy to examine factors behind the low enrollments.
“The restrictions are able to resolve society’s doubts, but they also affect Chinese students’ willingness to come and study in Taiwan … If the government’s aim is to attract the best students to Taiwan and raise the country’s competitiveness in higher education, the restrictions contradict that goal,” he said.
Chiang said the ministry would focus discussion on issues which include the number of Chinese students allowed in Taiwan and adjustment of the enrollment schedule to facilitate the application process.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS