The number of senior high-school students fell from 350,000 in 2012 to 290,000 in 2021, while the number of vocational high-school students fell from 460,000 to 260,000, Ministry of Education data showed.
The percentage of high-school students attending vocational high schools fell from 56.99 percent to 47.3 percent, so that they were outnumbered by high-school students.
Apart from the falling birthrate, the other main reason for this trend is the policy of upgrading technical and vocational institutes to universities, which has blurred the line between vocational and general education. Good junior colleges have been upgraded to institutes of technology, while reputable institutes of technology have been upgraded to universities of science and technology, and some universities of science and technology have been turned into ordinary universities.
As the sector becomes an alternative pathway to higher education, the vocational high-school and junior college graduates who previously replenished Taiwan’s basic technical workforce now mostly enroll in university, causing a shortage of skilled workers. Does Taiwan face a future with no plumbers, electricians or bus drivers?
Alliance Cultural Foundation International chairman Stanley Yen (嚴長壽) said that the structure of Taiwan’s education system has become imbalanced. A normal workforce structure should be a pyramid, with basic and middle-grade technical workers making up the majority.
However, Taiwan’s education sector has created a top-heavy inverted pyramid by supplying fewer basic and middle-grade technical workers, but plenty of upper-management talent. Meanwhile, main demand is still for basic-level workers.
The idea that book learning is superior to everything else is too deeply rooted to change overnight. Some universities should adopt a technical and vocational orientation. Industrial, agricultural and commercial colleges should be revived with up-to-date curriculums. As well as serving the needs of business and industry, and preventing a cut-off in technical talent, this could also leave more funding for higher education.
Dino Wei is an information engineer.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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