Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) yesterday said he returned to the ministry in the hope of completing the policies he had previously planned.
“Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) asked me to reassume the position because many of the policies I have planned are still in the process of being implemented and time is a bit tight at the moment,” he said after being sworn in.
“The premier says I am responsible for ensuring that the policies are successfully carried out. I know that is a huge responsibility, but I am willing to shoulder that,” he added.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The new 12-year curriculum guidelines, which are to take effect on Aug. 1, are a “big change for students,” he said.
He had planned the details and budgets for new textbooks, facilities and equipment required under the new guidelines and would do his best to work with schools to implement them, he said.
While former deputy minister of education Yao Leeh-ter (姚立德) is to return to teaching at Taipei National Taipei University of Technology, Deputy Minister of Education Fan Sun-lu (范巽綠), who had tendered her resignation on Sunday, would stay on in her position to help with the implementation of the guidelines, he said.
Fan has experience in compulsory education, which is a skill the ministry needs, he added.
Pan had stepped down as education minister less than a year into his term in April last year over controversy surrounding the election of National Taiwan University president Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔).
He had expressed hope that his resignation would end the political manipulations surrounding the issue that were causing “unnecessary stress and burden” to the ministry.
Following his resignation, two more education ministers stepped down over the election, while Kuan was appointed on Tuesday last week.
In response to media queries yesterday whether he felt wronged for having to step down, Pan said he did not feel that way.
“The election involved many controversies, but I felt it was a good thing that the flaws in the election system were exposed,” he said, adding that he had reviewed the system hoping to improve transparency in the election process while protecting university autonomy.
National Federation of Teachers’ Unions director-general Huang Yao-nan (黃耀南) on Sunday said that the new minister must deal with a number of pressing issues, such as the new curriculum guidelines and the transformation of private universities.
“Compared with previous curriculum changes in 2006 and 2010, this year’s changes are more extensive and require more supplementary measures and resources,” Huang said.
Having planned the curriculum guidelines, Pan is familiar with the policy, “but hopefully he would hold his ground and not compromise so easily under political pressure this time,” he added.
National Alliance of Parents Organizations chairman Hsieh Kuo-ching (謝國清) said that teachers and parents’ associations are happy to see Pan return, adding that they hope he would stay in the position until next year.
Hopefully Pan would help ensure a smooth transition for teachers and parents when the new curriculum guidelines take effect, he added.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu, Rachel Lin and Wo Po-hsuan
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS