Representatives from several parent groups yesterday demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Education in Taipei against the Executive Yuan’s plan to replace military instructors on high school, college and university campuses with security guards.
The military instructors are soldiers assigned by the Ministry of National Defense to high schools, colleges and universities to teach basic military training courses and protect students.
The protesters panned what they said is an “adamant” attitude taken by the Executive Yuan over a plan announced in 2013 to gradually eliminate military instructor posts by closing job vacancies.
Photo: CNA
Security guards cannot be expected to stay on campuses after classes end and handle threats posed to students the way military instructors can, so they are unsuited for the job of protecting students, the protesters said.
National Association of Students’ Parents chairman Chen Tieh-hu (陳鐵虎) said that as security guards would have to report any emergency to the police and then wait for police officers to arrive to deal with the situation, students could be exposed to serious dangers by the delay in response.
Could security guards be as efficient as a military instructor who recently rescued a student during an alleged abduction attempt by a group of gangsters, Chen asked, citing a news report about the incident.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators in favor of removing military instructors from campuses should listen to parents and teachers, the majority of whom are against such a move, he said.
Hsieh Chin-cheng (謝金城), the secretary-gneral of the Secondary and Elementary School Principals Association, said there are concerns about whether the government can introduce a reasonable vetting and training process for security guards.
Parents would only feel assured about their children’s safety if security guards undergo proper training so that that they can display the same level of competence and efficiency as military instructors, Hsieh said.
For example, if a student living away from home is hit by a car late at night, security guards should be required to promptly address the situation the way military instructors have done in the past, he said.
The government should conduct a trial run of the replacement policy at select schools before ordering the full implementation of the scheme, he said.
Military instructors used to be criticized as authoritarian symbols, but that has changed because many younger instructors do not have any political affiliations, he said.
Ministry of Education official Liu Chia-chen (劉家楨) said the measures and regulations about removing military instructors from school campuses are still being drafted, and that the ministry would take note of the parents’ opinions.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS