Students should be wary of high student-teacher ratios, low dorm availability and other problems when they select universities, the Alliance Against the Commercialization of Education said yesterday during a protest outside a higher-education fair at National Taiwan University in Taipei.
“Results of the Advanced Subjects Test are out and many students are considering which school to attend. We are here to remind them that behind shiny exteriors, higher education also has all sorts of problems that they need to take into consideration,” National Taiwan University student Lai Pei-lien (賴沛蓮) said as the alliance released rankings of the 10 most “commercialized” public and private schools.
Based on Ministry of Education data on student-teacher ratios, student dorm availability and cuts in class offerings over the past three years, the ranking also included “extra credit” points for schools that had applied for tuition hikes or “maliciously” fired their part-time instructors.
Shih Hsin University, Tamkang University and Providence University topped the rankings for private schools, while National Quemoy University, National Chung Hing University and National Ilan University topped those for public schools.
“While public universities are slightly better overall, there is not much difference,” Taipei National University of the Arts alumnus Cheng Te-hui (程德匯) said, adding that the poor standards already observed at some schools should make the Ministry of Education think twice before heeding calls for greater liberalization.
Many schools have been struggling to adapt in the face of falling student numbers, following decades of low birth rates.
Protesters said that falling student numbers have not yet led to improvements in student-teacher ratios and dorm availability at some schools.
In many departments, more than 100 students are often packed into required courses, Tamkang University student Hsieh Yi-hung (謝毅弘) said.
“With that many students, how do you expect lecturers to have time to thoroughly grade homework or to tend to students’ individual needs?” he said.
Shih Hsin University student Lee Jung-yu (李容渝) accused the university of failing to provide adequate dormitory spaces, saying that the university offers only about 1,200 beds for more than 4,000 students.
“The availability of dormitories is an important form of protection for students that ensures that they have affordable places to stay and can avoid problems like having to commute to and from campus for classes and meetings,” she said, adding that a student working part-time at a minimum wage would have to work more than 30 hours a month to pay the NT$5,500 rent for a standard studio apartment in Taipei or New Taipei City.
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