Students will be able to study in comfort this summer, after air-conditioners were installed in public schools nationwide in a government initiative more than a year in the making.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) at a launch event yesterday hailed the initiative as achieving “mission impossible.”
Teachers and students have long been plagued by high temperatures, affecting their studies and necessitating a concerted plan of action, Su told a gathering at Pingtung City’s Heh Sheng Elementary School, which was joined virtually by schools nationwide.
Photo: CNA
The Cabinet’s plan took more than a year to coordinate, with 2,300 work crews installing 180,000 air-conditioners in 3,500 schools nationwide, he said.
“After overcoming all sorts of hardships and limitations, we have achieved ‘mission impossible’ so that students no longer have to sit in class covered in sweat,” Su said.
It is only April and already Pingtung City is experiencing temperatures exceeding 32°C, Su said.
“You can imagine what the afternoon temperatures will be like over the next two months,” he said.
People have been trying to fix the problem for decades, but the costs and challenges have made the task monumental, he said.
The government has coordinated between schools, Taiwan Power Co (台電) and manufacturers to finally install air-conditioners in every classroom in the nation, he added, thanking everyone involved for their hard work.
A total budget of NT$35.79 billion (US$1.22 billion) went into the initiative, NT$32.3 billion of which was provided by the central government, with the rest contributed by local governments, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said, adding that all electricity and maintenance costs would be borne by the central government.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
RSS