The Ministry of Education said yesterday that vocational school graduates would have one more option when pursuing advanced studies because some of the nation’s top universities could have openings from next year on.
Vice Minister of Education Lin Tsung-ming (林聰明) said the ministry had required top universities that receive large amount of research or teaching stipends from the ministry to each offer one to five openings to vocational school graduates.
The students would be allowed to apply for the openings at schools such as National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University and National Hsing Hua University at the Entrance Examination for Technological and Vocational Education, Lin said.
The change could be a significant step in the nation’s higher education development because at the moment students graduating from vocational schools have to take the College Entrance Examination alongside high school students — which test on academic subjects that vocational school graduates may not be familiar with — if they want to enter regular universities, the ministry said in a press release.
About 346,000 students attend vocational schools, while 160,000 examinees took the Entrance Examination for Technological and Vocational Education this year.
About 200 vocational school students would benefit from the change each year.
The plan will be implemented in the next academic year at the earliest, the ministry said.
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