In his second weekly televised broadcast to the nation yesterday, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said that, like all parents and teachers, he wants educational reformers to put themselves in the shoes of students and strive to establish a concrete, feasible and complete structure for schools.
"My sister and sister-in-law are both personally engaged in the education reforms, but even they do not know what will happen next," Chen said. "Parents, children and teachers are all at a loss."
Chen stressed that while Taiwan should not return to the old ways of constant examinations, the reforms have so far failed to relieve the burden on pupils and parents. It's time, he said, for reformers to listen to what the public is telling them from the heart.
"It is my wish that the educational reforms see fewer exams, lighter school bags, more sleep and more options for schoolchildren so that future generations will not be bedeviled by exams," Chen said.
The televised chat was the second recording of A-bian Portrait," which was inspired by former US president Franklin D. Roosevelt's acclaimed fireside chats and launched by the president as a new way to share his views with the public.
Chen also talked about the public's perception of the new reforms, which many people believe have done little to plug inefficiencies in the education system.
"Do our children really feel better off than eight years ago? I think not," Chen said.
"The educational system underwent a big overhaul in terms of entrance methods and the content of all textbooks. But the result has left everybody deeply dissatisfied and at a loss," Chen said.
Chen added that if even the experts have no idea where the reforms will lead, then it is difficult to ask parents and children to keep faith in the process.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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