The Ministry of Education yesterday outlined plans to merge universities, as the number of students has been on the decline.
“Low fertility rates are an unavoidable reality,” Deputy Minister of Education Chen Der-hwa (陳德華) said.
The ministry estimates that student numbers will drop by a third by 2023 after years of low birth rates, putting tremendous pressure on universities and colleges as revenue drops.
Chen said the ministry would seek to cope with this reality by making “more effective” use of educational resources, while protecting the interests of teachers and students in the schools affected.
The ministry plans announced yesterday call for cutting college enrollment quotas by 40 percent by 2023, while encouraging school mergers.
If a university fails to fill 70 percent of its enrollment quota for two consecutive years, the quota will be automatically cut, Chen said.
Subsidies would be offered to give schools an incentive to cut their enrollment quotas, he said.
By encouraging public universities to voluntarily cut their enrollment, the ministry hopes to mitigate the pressure placed on less prestigious schools.
The ministry estimates that eight to 12 of the 51 public universities in the nation and 20 to 40 of the 101 private universities will be merged or closed by 2023.
While the ministry wants to encourage mergers of public universities, it would allow private closures to follow a natural course, only forcing closures in cases in which the universities are unable to meet ministry educational standards, Chen said.
As private schools generally have lower enrollment rates than public schools, they are expected to be hit the hardest by falling student numbers.
The ministry said that merging grade levels to be able to hold classes would be viewed as grounds for closure.
Southern universities are to bear a larger share of university closings, since they generally have lower enrollment rates, but the ministry would guarantee that there would be at least one public university in every county and municipality, Chen said.
Previously announced mergers include three technology universities in Kaohsiung, along with National Taiwan University and National Taipei University of Education.
The ministry also announced the establishment of an office to coordinate policy implementation.
The ministry said it would propose new legislation to the legislature this year in the hopes of providing a clear legal foundation for the transition.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS