Minister of Education Huang Jong-tsun (黃榮村) yesterday said his ministry will continue to explain ongoing education reform schemes to the public and seek resolution to the education deadlock that has angered the nation's students and parents.
"People complain because they don't understand what exactly the contents of the reform measures are," Huang said yesterday.
"The main problem in Taiwan's education system is that too much emphasis is put on high school and university entrance exams and parents are worried their children might fall behind classmates early on," Huang said.
Huang was speaking in response to remarks by President Chen Shui-bian's (
The reforms are primarily aimed at improving the Multiple Enrollment Scheme (MES), designed to provide an alternative to the rigid joint entrance exams, which were previously the sole route for those seeking entrance into high school or university.
"We are trying to simplify and integrate the MES to make it a fairer system. During these changes, we will repeatedly explain our actions to the public," Huang said.
In a bid to limit confusion, Huang said, "The MOE is studying the possibility of pushing forward a K-12 schooling system."
The K-12 education system is expected to extend the current nine-year compulsory education to 13 years, including one year of kindergarten and three years of senior high school education. The current nine-year compulsory education spans six years of elementary education and three years of junior high school.
The MOE has said that the one-year compulsory kindergarten education would be put into practice starting in 2005, while the three-year compulsory senior high education has yet to be given a start date.
TSU legislator Cheng Chen-lung (程振隆), a member of the legislative education committee, yesterday dismissed Chen's remarks, saying you cannot overhaul the educational system by simply asking to reduce the pressure on students.
"There will inevitably be pressure in studying," Cheng said. "As long as the students like what they are studying and the degree of pressure is bearable, we will survive."
"But to simply ask for a non-pressure studying environment is not conducive to the cultivation of talents that Taiwan needs for high-tech development," Cheng said.
"The education material used in Taiwan is relatively easier than that used in other developed nations. To alleviate the pressure on students would undermine students' academic ability," the lawmaker added.
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
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