The Ministry of Education has banned Kao Yuan University from enrolling overseas students for the next academic year, after students complained of being forced to work excessive hours in jobs unrelated to their studies.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) and Taiwan Labour Front secretary-general Son Yu-liam (孫友聯) yesterday hosted a news conference at the legislature in Taipei to present the complaints brought by two Philippine students.
The students in the university’s international bachelor program of industry-university cooperation last month called the Ministry of Education’s hotline for overseas students, saying that the internship program was inappropriate, and that the school had told them to lie about only working 20 hours per week — the legal limit.
Photo courtesy of Kao Yuan University
“When I came to Taiwan, I expected my life as a student would be to study, do internships related to my study and do part-time jobs on the side, but it did not turn out to be like that,” one student said. “My whole life in Taiwan has been in chaos and misery.”
“Due to the hard labor that the school arranged us to do, I cannot focus on studying because my body is tortured,” she said, adding that they had to work more than 40 hours per week to afford their tuition.
The students said that the university was aware that many students worked more than 12 hours per day, but asked them to lie if they were ever asked about it.
The ministry said it met with the students and interviewed other foreign students at the school.
The ministry asked the university to assist the students in switching to other programs to complete their studies, it said.
The students gave the ministry an audio recording that they said proved they were instructed in a class to claim that they worked only 20 hours per week, Department of Technological and Vocational Education deputy head Eric Ker (柯今尉) told the Central News Agency.
The ministry said it would place the university under supervision and consider the issue when granting subsidies to private schools.
The university told a news conference in Kaohsiung that one of the students could not adapt to the internship program and the work environment, and asked to change the internship 13 times.
The student also reportedly asked to fulfill the internship requirement by working part-time in the service industry, which the university denied, as it is against regulations, it said.
The school opened a one-on-one internship course for the student, who did not earn the credits due to frequent unexcused absences, it said.
The internship opportunities provided for the student were mostly the same as those of Taiwanese students, it said.
The company the student interned with denied the student’s claims of an unsafe work environment, salary deductions and daily overtime requirements.
Fan urged the ministry to closely examine the enrollment plan for overseas students to ensure that schools have qualified teachers and are able to provide appropriate internships to students.
She added that the ministry should work with labor departments to inspect schools and factories when it receives complaints.
PLA MANEUVERS: Although Beijing has yet to formally announce military drills, its coast guard vessels have been spotted near and around Taiwan since Friday The Taiwanese military is on high alert and is closely monitoring the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) air and naval deployments after Beijing yesterday reserved seven airspace areas east of its Zhejiang and Fujian provinces through Wednesday. Beijing’s action was perceived as a precursor to a potential third “Joint Sword” military exercise, which national security experts said the PLA could launch following President William Lai’s (賴清德) state visits to the nation’s three Pacific allies and stopovers in Hawaii and Guam last week. Unlike the Joint Sword military exercises in May and October, when Beijing provided detailed information about the affected areas, it
CHINA: The activities come amid speculation that Beijing might launch military exercises in response to Lai’s recent visit to Pacific allies The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said China had nearly doubled the number of its warships operating around the nation in the previous 24 hours, ahead of what security sources expect would be a new round of war games. China’s military activities come amid speculation Beijing might organize military drills around the nation in response to President William Lai’s (賴清德) recent visit to Pacific allies, including stops in Hawaii and Guam, a US territory. Lai returned from the week-long trip on Friday night. Beijing has held two rounds of war games around Taiwan this year, and sends ships and military planes
Five flights have been arranged to help nearly 2,000 Taiwanese tourists return home from Okinawa after being stranded due to cruise ship maintenance issues, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced yesterday. China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) have arranged five flights with a total of 748 additional seats to transport 1,857 passengers from the MSC Bellissima back to Taiwan, the ministry said. The flights have been scheduled for yesterday and today by the Civil Aviation Administration, with the cruise operator covering all associated costs. The MSC Bellissima, carrying 4,341 passengers, departed from Keelung on Wednesday last week for Okinawa,
US president-elect Donald Trump said he would “never say” if Washington is committed to defending Taiwan from China, but “I would prefer that they do not do it [ an attack],” adding that he has a “good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). “I never say because I have to negotiate things, right?” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker after saying he would not reveal his incoming administration’s stance on Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. Asked the question again, Trump, in a reference to China, said: “I would prefer that they
RSS