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
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS