Universities’ efforts to recruit foreign students outside established programs would be scrutinized more closely, the Ministry of Education said yesterday, after Ugandan students accused Chung Chou University of Science and Technology of using them as laborers.
The ministry said it on Jan. 10 received a complaint from students saying that the university did not live up to what it had promised when recruiting them and instead exploited them as laborers.
Police on Friday last week questioned the university’s Department of Education Promotion director, surnamed Lan (藍), and its vice president, surnamed Chai (柴), the ministry said.
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei Times
Chai and Lan were suspected of breaching the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (人口販運防制法), the Employment Service Act (就業服務法) and the Criminal Code, it said.
The Changhua District Court approved prosecutors’ request to detain Lan, but released Chai on NT$300,000 bail.
The ministry yesterday told the Central News Agency that the university is suspected of breaching the University Act (大學法) and the Regulations Regarding International Students Undertaking Studies in Taiwan (外國學生來台就學辦法), and is barred from taking in any more foreign students.
The school is to conduct an internal investigation, the ministry said, adding that university president Huang Ssu-lun (黃思倫) has tendered his resignation.
Separately, the ministry said it would in March start a general review of the quality of education Taiwanese universities offer to foreign students.
Should any universities fail the review, they would be taken in by four designated schools, one each in the north, south, east and west of the nation, it said.
Deputy Minister of Education Lio Mon-chi (劉孟奇) said that the ministry would arrange unannounced inspections, focusing on irregularity with scheduling, course arrangements, the language courses are taught in and other aspects.
The ministry has a list of 20 universities considered at high risk of exploiting its students, Lio said, adding that the review would also include 158 vocational colleges.
Association of Private Universities and Colleges of Technology president Ko Tzu-hsiang (葛自祥) expressed understanding for the ministry’s concerns, saying that a unified standard should be adopted at all universities and vocational schools.
Private Education Association chairman Tang Yen-po (唐彥博) said that the ministry should announce inspections at least one day in advance, adding that the ministry should also draw up new laws regulating the sector.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS