Education groups are criticizing a proposed policy to dedicate an extra 5,000 spots at public universities to underprivileged students, saying that the government should instead improve the livelihoods of families.
On Dec. 4, Minister Without Portfolio Lin Wan-i (林萬億) suggested that public universities should open up additional quotas in the next five years to promote social mobility.
Last week, the Association of Private Universities and Colleges and the Association of Private Universities and Colleges of Technology said in a joint statement that the purpose of the proposal was strange and confusing.
Seventy percent of underprivileged students are studying in private universities, and the government should address the issue of underfunded students, rather than demand that public universities let them bypass exam scores and enroll because of their economic status, the statement said.
Universities have a variety of subsidies in place to support students, making the tuition fee that an underprivileged student pays for a private school roughly equal to that of a public one, it said.
It is not private schools that cause economic strain, and if the government truly wanted to help, it should focus its efforts on helping families overcome poverty, the statement said.
The government’s plan would narrow students’ options, as the policy suggests that students prioritize public schools near their residence over private ones, the statement said.
The plan would discriminate against private schools, it added.
Many private schools have a higher threshold for admission, and students graduating from these schools perform as well as those from public institutions, it said.
If an underprivileged student chooses a private school, the government should give a larger subsidy to relieve their financial burden, and not simply encourage them to change to a public one instead, it added.
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