The budget for the Ministry of Education’s plan to promote morals education has been cut by NT$240 million (US$7.3 million) after the plan drew fire from educators.
The ministry last week introduced a NT$1.2 billion campaign aimed at inspiring the public to cultivate good character and lead a moral life and to give students more opportunities to appreciate art, read and learn about the need to take care of the environment.
Minister of Education Cheng Jei-cheng (鄭瑞城) told a press conference yesterday that he had instructed the ministry to reduce the NT$340 million budget set aside for promoting moral education to NT$100 million, bringing down the total budget of the campaign to NT$970 million.
Cheng said about NT$20 million of the moral education budget would be spent during the 2009 academic year, while the remaining NT$80 million will be spent during the 2010 academic year.
The campaign budget also includes NT$200 million to cultivate art appreciation among students and NT$550 million to promote reading among the general public, Cheng said.
About NT$120 million will be spent on promoting environmental sustainability at schools, he said.
Cheng said that he had heard numerous suggestions since the ministry launched the campaign, but denied that the cuts were in response to the mixed reviews the project had received.
The minister said most people had reacted positively to the ministry’s call to emphasize moral education.
Cheng defended the ministry’s plan, saying that most of the money earmarked for the project would be sourced from the ministry’s routine activities.
“It is necessary [to spend money on the movement], as long as the money is well-spent,” he said.
Cheng said the government would serve as “initiator” and “coordinator” of the campaign.
“We hope the campaign will help everyone realize the importance of moral education and turn Taiwan into a nation highlighting morality, quality and good taste,” he said.
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