The Executive Yuan yesterday passed a draft act to govern the closure of private schools, in a bid to address low enrollment caused by Taiwan’s low birthrate.
The act — which would apply to all private senior-high schools and universities that are struggling to survive due to low enrollment — would authorize the Ministry of Education to set up a fund to help them gradually cease operations; subsidize students’ education, accommodation and transportation expenses; and pay the salaries and insurance of faculty.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) told the weekly Cabinet meeting that the government expects some of these private educational institutions to encounter financial problems within 10 years, but that the act would ensure that their closures are smooth transitions.
Photo: Lin Hsiao-yun, Taipei Times
The act would also protect students in schools that are closing, he said.
Under the act, two categories of private schools would come under the ministry’s close scrutiny.
The first category is composed of schools “placed under alert” due to the schools having mild funding problems.
The second are schools that have severe funding problems — placing them beyond repair and requiring the ministry to give them special guidance.
The draft states that the ministry would establish the standards that determine whether an educational institution should be placed in the first or second category.
Schools in the second category would be announced to the public.
The draft states that if the institutions in the second category improve their financial situation within three years, they could be removed from the ministry’s watch list.
It states that if their finances fail to improve in three years, the ministry could order them to stop enrolling students.
Such schools should stop operations at the end of a school year.
Institutions in the second category to get its approval before finalizing procurement contracts of NT$1 million (US$34,701) or more, the ministry said.
Three faculty or staff members would be appointed to the school board to check whether the administration is truly working toward improving the institution’s financial situation, the ministry said.
The school board must be reformed after an institution stops enrolling new students, the ministry said, adding that the board would need to be composed of impartial third-party members who are assigned by the ministry so that they can assist with preparations for the closure of the institution.
The act would not require private schools to maintain a student body of 3,000 and would change the sunset clause, increasing the funding leading to closure, the ministry said.
More than 30 high schools and more than 10 universities have been placed on the first category list, Department of Technological and Vocational Education Director Yang Yu-hui (楊玉惠) said.
After the draft bill is passed by the Legislative Yuan, the ministry would release a list of schools that needs help for operation, she added.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from