New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Liu Ho-jan (劉和然) in an interview said that he hoped the next mayor of New Taipei City could reinvigorate the city by establishing a municipal university — a proposal that overlooks the challenges of an aging population and the declining number of educators and teaching professionals.
First, amid a declining birthrate, Taiwan is this year set to become a “super-aged society,” in which one in five people would be older than 65. As such, universities are facing school mergers, downsizing or closures. How, then, could Liu believe that a municipal university is what New Taipei City residents need?
Liu would do well to take a look at the case of National Taiwan University of Science and Technology’s Hwa Hsia Campus in Jhonghe District (中和), which amid plummeting enrollment applied to close in recent years and is set to shut down permanently within two years.
In Tamsui District (淡水), Aletheia University — one of Taiwan’s oldest institutions, originally founded as Oxford College — has struggled with student enrollment, with registration rates failing to exceed 60 percent over the past three years. This academic year, it recorded the nation’s lowest enrollment rate, with only 30 percent of accepted students registering for classes.
Despite the ongoing crisis facing higher education institutions in New Taipei City, Liu still seems eager to establish another university — even as student enrollment continues to decline.
Moreover, running an academic institution requires deep pockets, and using taxpayer money for such a venture would only put further strain on resources. That could intensify competition and potentially squeeze small and medium-sized institutions out of existence.
This is particularly worrying given that several smaller schools in New Taipei City’s remote areas are in greater need of financial support from the city’s education department, while several infrastructure projects have been initiated for political gain or to curry public favor.
Education should not become another reckless form of pork-barrel spending or a cash grab that undermines young people’s right to quality education.
Lai Yen-cheng is a graduate student at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University.
Translated by Tim Smith
China has not been a top-tier issue for much of the second Trump administration. Instead, Trump has focused considerable energy on Ukraine, Israel, Iran, and defending America’s borders. At home, Trump has been busy passing an overhaul to America’s tax system, deporting unlawful immigrants, and targeting his political enemies. More recently, he has been consumed by the fallout of a political scandal involving his past relationship with a disgraced sex offender. When the administration has focused on China, there has not been a consistent throughline in its approach or its public statements. This lack of overarching narrative likely reflects a combination
US President Donald Trump’s alleged request that Taiwanese President William Lai (賴清德) not stop in New York while traveling to three of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, after his administration also rescheduled a visit to Washington by the minister of national defense, sets an unwise precedent and risks locking the US into a trajectory of either direct conflict with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) or capitulation to it over Taiwan. Taiwanese authorities have said that no plans to request a stopover in the US had been submitted to Washington, but Trump shared a direct call with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平)
Heavy rains over the past week have overwhelmed southern and central Taiwan, with flooding, landslides, road closures, damage to property and the evacuations of thousands of people. Schools and offices were closed in some areas due to the deluge throughout the week. The heavy downpours brought by the southwest monsoon are a second blow to a region still recovering from last month’s Typhoon Danas. Strong winds and significant rain from the storm inflicted more than NT$2.6 billion (US$86.6 million) in agricultural losses, and damaged more than 23,000 roofs and a record high of nearly 2,500 utility poles, causing power outages. As
The greatest pressure Taiwan has faced in negotiations stems from its continuously growing trade surplus with the US. Taiwan’s trade surplus with the US reached an unprecedented high last year, surging by 54.6 percent from the previous year and placing it among the top six countries with which the US has a trade deficit. The figures became Washington’s primary reason for adopting its firm stance and demanding substantial concessions from Taipei, which put Taiwan at somewhat of a disadvantage at the negotiating table. Taiwan’s most crucial bargaining chip is undoubtedly its key position in the global semiconductor supply chain, which led
RSS