High-school students attending a forum organized by the Ministry of Education’s Youth Development Administration have proposed a “no cellphone day,” saying smartphone addiction could alienate students from society.
At a forum on Sunday, 100 senior-high and vocational high-school students offered their suggestions to Minister of Education Wu Se-hwa (吳思華) and other officials on a variety of topics including learning and career planning, civic awareness, international perspectives, technology and smart living.
Internet and smartphone addiction could restrict students’ thinking, negatively affect their health and alienate them from other people, the students said.
They urged the ministry to designate a “no cellphone day” to raise awareness on mobile phone addiction.
The ministry’s K-12 Education Administration said it would be difficult to designate such a day without social consensus, pointing out the benefits of smartphones in helping people receive e-mails and reach information. Such phones can also have educational uses, it said.
However, they would work on finding ways to educate students on cellphone usage to prevent addiction, officials said.
The students also complained about the tendency of some teachers to “spoon feed” students, instead of inspiring them to think and engage in debates, and asked officials to improve teachers’ assessment and evaluation systems so that teachers who are not suitable for the job can be fired more easily.
Officials said that teachers enjoy better job security than the private sector, adding that a system to remove underperforming teachers is necessary.
However, the issue needs to be studied more carefully because it involves value judgments, officials said.
Wu said the ministry would begin by helping teachers improve their teaching methods and course materials.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it