A sophomore at Taichung’s Chaoyang University of Technology, surnamed Li (李), died by suicide last month after the university rejected his request for a leave of absence. He was unable to pay one-third of his tuition — about NT$18,000. Many have accused the university of having a rigid and callous system. However, university education is different from compulsory education — students have the freedom to make their own decisions.
Under the higher education system, all universities have mechanisms for tuition waivers, as well as financial aid programs. Students from low or middle-income households, special circumstances, indigenous backgrounds, or those with physical or mental disabilities can apply for partial or full tuition exemptions. These systems are designed to assist economically disadvantaged students. That these tuition waivers require active application is a form of assurance — transparency of resource allocations is guaranteed through the application and review process. For a university to proceed with fee collection or suspension in accordance with regulations if a student fails to apply on time does not constitute negligence.
Most universities have staff to provide support for students’ living, finances and mental health. It is important to ensure that students know these resources exist and that they can be used.
We must help students understand that seeking help in the face of hardship is not a sign of weakness, but an act of courage. There are advisors at universities who can offer guidance and help students find solutions — no student should have to face such challenges alone. Systems exist to protect people, and that protection begins the very moment someone finds the will to speak up. Hopefully, this incident serve as a reminder of the importance of ensuring that students know where to turn for help. When a problem arises, it is okay to speak out. No matter the challenge, there is always a way — there is always a path forward.
Ken is the pen name of a social worker.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
On March 22, 2023, at the close of their meeting in Moscow, media microphones were allowed to record Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dictator Xi Jinping (習近平) telling Russia’s dictator Vladimir Putin, “Right now there are changes — the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 years — and we are the ones driving these changes together.” Widely read as Xi’s oath to create a China-Russia-dominated world order, it can be considered a high point for the China-Russia-Iran-North Korea (CRINK) informal alliance, which also included the dictatorships of Venezuela and Cuba. China enables and assists Russia’s war against Ukraine and North Korea’s
After thousands of Taiwanese fans poured into the Tokyo Dome to cheer for Taiwan’s national team in the World Baseball Classic’s (WBC) Pool C games, an image of food and drink waste left at the stadium said to have been left by Taiwanese fans began spreading on social media. The image sparked wide debate, only later to be revealed as an artificially generated image. The image caption claimed that “Taiwanese left trash everywhere after watching the game in Tokyo Dome,” and said that one of the “three bad habits” of Taiwanese is littering. However, a reporter from a Japanese media outlet
Taiwanese pragmatism has long been praised when it comes to addressing Chinese attempts to erase Taiwan from the international stage. “Taipei” and the even more inaccurate and degrading “Chinese Taipei,” imposed titles required to participate in international events, are loathed by Taiwanese. That is why there was huge applause in Taiwan when Japanese public broadcaster NHK referred to the Taiwanese Olympic team as “Taiwan,” instead of “Chinese Taipei” during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. What is standard protocol for most nations — calling a national team by the name their country is commonly known by — is impossible for
India is not China, and many of its residents fear it never will be. It is hard to imagine a future in which the subcontinent’s manufacturing dominates the world, its foreign investment shapes nations’ destinies, and the challenge of its economic system forces the West to reshape its own policies and principles. However, that is, apparently, what the US administration fears. Speaking in New Delhi last week, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau warned that “we will not make the same mistakes with India that we did with China 20 years ago.” Although he claimed the recently agreed framework
RSS