A private high school in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) is facing fines and reduced enrollment after it yesterday held a graduation ceremony in breach of COVID-19 prevention measures.
Taipei Kuei Shan School held its graduation ceremony, despite a visit earlier in the morning by Taipei Department of Education officials telling them not to, the department said.
The department learned that the school held the ceremony after pictures were posted on Facebook criticizing the event, it said.
A user posted photographs of students in graduation gowns and wrote: “The nobility disregard pandemic measures, continuing with their graduation ceremony. They have money and power, so are they above everyone else?”
“The department had been in touch with the school by telephone since Friday night, but they insisted on going ahead with the ceremony,” department Deputy Commissioner Chen Su-hui (陳素慧) said.
The school tried to avoid regulations prohibiting outdoor gatherings of 10 or more people by splitting the ceremony into three segments, each with nine students, Chen said.
However, regulations also stipulate that schools may not hold graduation ceremonies during a level 3 COVID-19 alert, she said, adding that the school would be fined NT$60,000 to NT$300,000.
Under the Private School Act (私立學校法), a school would normally be required to form a committee to investigate legal contraventions and make improvements within a specified timeline, she said.
However, since the graduation ceremony has already been held, the department would instead reduce the school’s permitted enrollment numbers for the next academic year, she said.
School principal Wu Cheng-tung (吳正東) said that it was the board of directors that had decided to hold the ceremony and that he was initially unaware that the event would proceed.
After he was informed about the plans on Friday, he urged the board to put off any ceremonies until after the pandemic, he said.
Wu said that he respected the regulations, but since principals at private schools are chosen by their directors there was nothing he could do, adding that he was at home during the ceremony.
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