Minister of Education Wu Ching-chi (吳清基) yesterday denied that the ministry would allow universities to raise tuition to increase the pay scale for distinguished professors.
“We have not adjusted tuition for universities for seven to eight years. The truth is, they’re facing financial difficulties,” Wu told reporters at the ministry.
“[However] we do not plan to raise tuition at the moment because parents are still suffering a great burden amid the economic downturn,” Wu said.
Wu made the remark after attendees at a national conference on nurturing Taiwanese education professionals suggested on Sunday that universities raise tuition to improve professors’ pay.
The ministry launched a draft proposal at the conference on Saturday to spend a total of NT$20 billion (US$625.7 million) keeping distinguished Taiwanese professors in Taiwan and recruiting more foreign talent.
The fund will be sourced from government fund-raising and the budget for the National Science Council and the ministry, it said.
The nation has been facing a brain drain lately as several distinguished university teachers have left for jobs in countries that pay higher salaries.
Currently, university lecturers receive NT$76,050 and associate professors NT$76,715.
Professors receive a monthly salary of NT$90,000 on average, while those in Hong Kong get NT$370,000 and those in China receive NT$200,000 per month.
The ministry said it was willing to lift the pay ceiling for professors, adding that renowned foreign professors might enjoy an annual salary of between NT$4 million (US$125,000) and NT$5 million.
Meanwhile, Wu assured the public that the nation’s private universities and colleges would continue their operations despite the lack of donations from the Formosa Plastics Corp.
Huang Jong-tsun (黃榮村), chairman of the Private School Education Foundation, said late Formosa Plastics Corp founder Wang Yung-ching (王永慶) made great contributions to the foundation — about NT$5 billion each year — before he passed away.
However, the amount had decreased sharply since Wang passed away, Huang said.
“I hope his family can carry on his ideals, but we cannot force them. We only hope that they could continue to make some major contributions to private schools,” Huang said.
The government-funded foundation distributes the fund to private schools. Companies can deduct up to 50 percent of their annual income by making donations to private schools through the foundation.
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