The Ministry of Education yesterday said it would complete the demolition of more than 200 old and dangerous buildings at elementary and junior-high schools by the end of this month as part of its initiative to improve safety on campuses.
The ministry in 2017 sought funding from the Executive Yuan for the special project to help local governments reinforce old or structurally weak school buildings to make them more resistant to earthquakes, or tear them down and rebuild them, it said in a statement.
The demolition of 246 school buildings that are immediately or potentially dangerous, or that would not be economically beneficial to reinforce, is to be completed this month, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Education via CNA
Of those, 158 would be rebuilt, while the sites of the remaining 88 have already been leveled to be used for other purposes, it added.
The nation has more than 27,000 buildings at schools below the level of senior-high school, the ministry said, citing statistics.
As Taiwan is under constant threat of earthquakes, it is crucial for the government to ensure the safety of students and teachers, it said.
The ministry has also provided subsidies to reinforce 1,702 school buildings against earthquakes as part of the project, it added.
Taichung Municipal Tong Feng Junior High School, Chiayi County’s Siaji Elementary School and Tainan Municipal Anding District Anding Elementary School are some of the schools covered by the project.
The Taichung school, which has more than 50 years of history, had requested funding to tear down and rebuild one of its buildings, the ministry said.
A two-story structure with a black-and-white exterior was erected in the old building’s place, it said, adding that the new building houses a nonprofit kindergarten, as well as a library with smart technology and communal reading space.
An academic building at the Chiayi school that had been experiencing leaks and was not sufficiently earthquake-resistant was also demolished, the ministry said.
It has been replaced with a new building that was designed with concepts of green architecture and sustainability in mind, and features administrative offices, a library, classrooms, a kindergarten, as well as space for sports, it added.
Two new buildings were built for the Tainan school, which previously had a building with three floors that were constructed at different times, and that had sustained heavy damage in a 2016 earthquake, it said.
Although the funding from the special program is to end this year, the ministry is to continue to supervise local governments in their tracking of school buildings that might be at risk, it added.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS