Amid heavy criticism of the government’s 12-year education plan, which is to be implemented next month, several groups yesterday called on the Ministry of Education to address what they said were numerous problems with the program to make for a fairer and more effective learning environment.
Chinese Language Promotion Association member Tuan Hsin-yi (段心儀) told a press conference in Taipei that the system lumps students with varying learning abilities into one class, but they should instead be grouped into classes according to their aptitude for learning if they are to have a rewarding educational experience.
She said the Star Plan for the College Entrance System, which takes students’ grades into account in the college application process, was unfair because it uses the same criteria to evaluate the grades of students focusing on science and those focusing on the humanities, putting the latter at a disadvantage when they take tests in math and science.
As for the trend to evaluate teachers by the number of their students accepted by prestigious universities, Tuan said that teachers should be evaluated based on the scope of their students’ improvement, not how many get into top schools, because average students have an equal right to education as those who test well.
National Senior High School Teachers’ Union deputy director-general Huang Yao-nan (黃耀南) said vocational high schools face many problems.
The average number of students in a vocational high school class is 45, seven more than the class number set by the ministry, which leads to an equipment shortage that delays students’ learning process.
The ministry should take the necessary measures to address the issue, he said.
He also criticized the ministry for its restrictions on the NT$20 billion (US$666.8 million) subsidy it gives vocational schools, including barring school administrations from purchasing computers for students. Computers are the main tool used by students of mechanics and information technology, he said.
National Association of Students’ Parents chairman Chen Tieh-hu (陳鐵虎) said that this is the perfect time to call for the abolishment of heavily criticized 12-year program in the wake of former minister of education Chiang Wei-ling’s (蔣偉寧) resignation because of an academic publications scandal.
“The consensus of many parents is that the Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students, which is a much fairer system, should be restored,” he said.
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