Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers yesterday blasted a plan by the Executive Yuan to spend NT$12.8 billion (US$448.6 million) on a children’s plaza, saying the money could be put to better use on education, social and labor reforms to improve children’s quality of life.
TPP caucus convener Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) and TPP deputy caucus convener Ann Kao (高虹安) made the call at a news conference in Taipei ahead of Children’s Day on Sunday.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Saturday last week unveiled a plan to build a children’s plaza in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), where he said children could learn about technology and culture through play.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Citing a study by the Child Welfare League Foundation, Chiu said that Taiwanese children are less happy now than they were in 2017, and 20 percent of children said they do not feel happy in their daily lives.
The three main causes of unhappiness were classwork, fears about the COVID-19 pandemic, and not having time for leisure and recreation, he cited the study as saying.
Most Taiwanese children do not have time to play before 7pm and about 10 percent of the children said they did not have any time for themselves, Chiu said.
The foundation concluded that an unfriendly school environment and emotionally distant family members are to blame for the nation’s lack of progress in making children happy, he said.
The ministries of education, labor and the interior have to tackle these issues with coordinated policy initiatives, he said, adding: “Building a children’s plaza is not a solution.”
Kao said that the country needs to commit to the policy changes and resources that would improve children’s quality of life.
Playgrounds in parks and schools either do not have jungle gym equipment or have cookie-cutter pieces that are monotonous, unimaginative, and contain unsafe wood splinters and lead residues, she said.
The Ministry of Education has allocated NT$2.7 billion to build inclusive and individualized playgrounds in 2,813 schools, Kao said, adding that the ministry could have helped build 10,000 school playgrounds with NT$13 billion.
For example, the planned funding for the plaza could be used to improve special education with more teachers, smaller class sizes and cheaper textbooks, she said.
The TPP caucus also issued a news release urging the government to make more efficient use of the budget by focusing on welfare priorities that are more urgent, more inclusive and would benefit more children.
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