High schools are to be given more autonomy to set their own schedules, including making morning self-study sessions optional and banning tests in the eighth period, the Ministry of Education said on Tuesday.
The new rules would be implemented with the beginning of the new school year in September, the ministry said.
Requirements that high-school students arrive on campus by 7:30am for flag-raising ceremonies and self-study sessions have faced public criticism, including a petition on the government’s public policy platform in 2020.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Education
The petition called for lessons at high schools to start at 9:30am, but the ministry had to consider the time that parents start work, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said.
After lengthy discussions, all sides agreed to increase the time that students can use independently, Pan said.
Morning self-study sessions would become optional and the requirement that those who arrive late be recorded would be waived, he said.
The number of scheduled flag-raising ceremonies and morning gatherings would also be reduced, he said.
The ministry would post a final draft of the new rules next month, as it is seeking to give schools enough time to prepare for their implementation, he said.
The new rules would be limited to high schools, as younger students more commonly depend on their parents for transportation to school, Pan said.
The ministry might announce separate, less far-reaching amendments for junior-high schools, he added.
The ban on tests in the eighth period at junior-high schools would remain, he said, adding that the ministry might change junior-high school hours.
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