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.
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