A project launched two years ago to renovate washrooms in several Hsinchu schools is nearly complete, winning praise from students.
The project, funded by the central and city governments, cost NT$30 million (US$976,245) and once finished, is to see the renovation of 56 washrooms at 12 elementary and junior-high schools in the city.
There are 46 elementary and junior-high schools in the city and the local government could not afford to restore all of their facilities, Hsinchu Department of Education Director Lee Fang-ling (李芳齡) said.
Photo: Hung Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
Facilities in some schools were in such a bad shape that students complained of flooding, as well as poor lighting and ventilation, while many students avoided using the washrooms altogether, Lee said.
The city secured funding from the central government two years ago, she said, adding that students have said they are happy to finally be able to use the washrooms.
Work is finished at most of the larger schools, including Hsinchu, Dong Yuan and Shuiyuan elementary schools, as well as Hulin, Sanmin and Guang Wu junior-high schools, Lee said.
Only facilities at Tung Men Elementary School, Chien Hwa Junior High School and Yusian Junior High School are still undergoing renovation, she said, adding that all work would be completed by the end of the year.
Most of the schools were established several decades ago and it was the first time that their washrooms were renovated, Lee said.
As an example she cited Shuiyuan Elementary School, which was established in 1968, but is housed in a building that was used as a public school during the Japanese colonial era.
Renovators have made functional improvements, such as improving the air flow, installing new toilets and sinks and adding aesthetic elements, Lee said.
They used a colorful mosaic pattern for the walls and tiles, giving them a modern look, she said.
School principal Ho Hsin-wei (何信煒) said teachers would incorporate washroom etiquette into their curriculum for younger students to ensure that they keep the washrooms clean.
Sixth grader Tseng Shih-ting (曾詩婷) said the washroom at the school used to smell so bad that she would “hold it in” until she went home, making it difficult to focus on her classes.
The new washrooms are very clean and beautiful, she added.
Taiwanese can file complaints with the Tourism Administration to report travel agencies if their activities caused termination of a person’s citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday, after a podcaster highlighted a case in which a person’s citizenship was canceled for receiving a single-use Chinese passport to enter Russia. The council is aware of incidents in which people who signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of Russia were told they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, Chiu told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Taipei. However, the travel agencies actually applied
New measures aimed at making Taiwan more attractive to foreign professionals came into effect this month, the National Development Council said yesterday. Among the changes, international students at Taiwanese universities would be able to work in Taiwan without a work permit in the two years after they graduate, explainer materials provided by the council said. In addition, foreign nationals who graduated from one of the world’s top 200 universities within the past five years can also apply for a two-year open work permit. Previously, those graduates would have needed to apply for a work permit using point-based criteria or have a Taiwanese company
The Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday indicted two Taiwanese and issued a wanted notice for Pete Liu (劉作虎), founder of Shenzhen-based smartphone manufacturer OnePlus Technology Co (萬普拉斯科技), for allegedly contravening the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) by poaching 70 engineers in Taiwan. Liu allegedly traveled to Taiwan at the end of 2014 and met with a Taiwanese man surnamed Lin (林) to discuss establishing a mobile software research and development (R&D) team in Taiwan, prosecutors said. Without approval from the government, Lin, following Liu’s instructions, recruited more than 70 software
Taiwanese singer Jay Chou (周杰倫) plans to take to the courts of the Australian Open for the first time as a competitor in the high-stakes 1 Point Slam. The Australian Open yesterday afternoon announced the news on its official Instagram account, welcoming Chou — who celebrates his 47th birthday on Sunday — to the star-studded lineup of the tournament’s signature warm-up event. “From being the King of Mandarin Pop filling stadiums with his music to being Kato from The Green Hornet and now shifting focus to being a dedicated tennis player — welcome @jaychou to the 1 Point Slam and #AusOpen,” the
RSS