As classes resumed this week at many schools in disaster areas -- two weeks after the crippling 921 earthquake -- officials are pointing out that some children are returning home from school after only half-day sessions. As a result, officials say, children are left alone while parents are occupied with reconstruction tasks.
To help ease the burden on both schools and parents, the Ministry of Education announced plans yesterday to mobilize volunteer teachers to fill shortages in manpower at kindergarten and elementary schools.
"Even though most schools have reopened, because of the insufficiency of classrooms and manpower, they can only open for half a day. We're concerned about students idling after school," Minister of Education Kirby Yung (
He said the ministry plans to recruit volunteer teachers from among retired teachers, senior-level students from teacher's universities, college or university students enrolled in education internship courses, people who have completed a one-year educational internship, school educational association members, and university professors.
The ministry will provide volunteer teachers full insurance coverage, transportation plus food and board expenses under the plan.
Because it is a volunteer program, Yung said the exact amount of manpower it can eventually summon is difficult to determine.
Current teaching qualifications stipulate that college and university students who wish to volunteer as elementary teachers must have completed at least a minimum of 29 education credits plus one year of an education internship.
Seniors at normal universities and teachers' colleges must take the four-week "education internship" class and the two-week "field trip" class in elementary schools. Students participating in the program can receive academic credit for their participation in the program.
There are currently three normal universities and nine teachers' colleges on the island. Some colleges and universities also offer courses in education.
Yang said he hoped the program will benefit participants. "The bottom line is we don't want the program to pose any inconvenience to any participants' school schedule," Yang said.
The teachers sent to the disaster areas are expected to conduct classes at schools and temporary shelters.
They will also provide after-class teaching services and psychological counselling at care centers.
The ministry has published a 28-page booklet titled After the 921 Earthquake: A Psychological Comforting Manual to help students in disaster areas cope with the disruption and devastation caused by the earthquake.
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
RSS