The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of the Interior on Friday launched an online virtual reality exhibition on disaster prevention.
The exhibition, which runs through Oct. 10, is aimed at encouraging schools of all levels to pay attention to campus safety, as well as the promotion of disaster prevention education, the education ministry’s Department of Information and Technology Education said in a statement.
It features three main sections, with 159 “booths” where government agencies, city and county governments and schools from across the nation have presented their achievements in promoting disaster prevention, the department said.
They have incorporated elements such as technology, creativity and aesthetics into disaster prevention education and developed a diverse range of online activities, games and courses to promote disaster prevention education, it added.
Many schools not only promote disaster prevention education in a lively and creative way, but serve as the main promoters of disaster prevention education in their communities, the department said.
Jialu Elementary School in Pingtung County’s Fangshan Township (枋山) has developed a virtual disaster prevention classroom, created its own disaster prevention games and used augmented reality in teaching the subject, it said, adding that people can find interactive learning activities in the schools’ section of the exhibition.
In Changhua County’s Sijhou Township (溪州), Nanjhou Elementary School has developed disaster prevention teaching materials in Vietnamese because of the demographics of the local population, the department said.
The National Fire Agency’s “booth” would have an interactive game on public disaster prevention using augmented reality, while showcasing its personalized system for information related to disaster prevention, it said.
People are encouraged to vote online for their favorite booth during the exhibition, the department said, adding that the most popular booth would receive a certificate and cash prize.
The Ministry of Education cares about the safety of all teachers and students, the department said, adding that it would continue to work to better prepare schools for disasters and, in turn, spread concepts about disaster prevention from schools to local communities.
The exhibition can be found at disaster.moe.edu.tw/VR/index.html.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex