An annual NT$35,000 (US$1,120) subsidy for private college tuition and miscellaneous costs went into effect on Thursday, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) announced in a Facebook post that day.
Students studying in private colleges are to see the subsidy on their tuition fee bill for an amount of NT$17,500 per semester (or NT$35,000 per year), Tsai said.
The subsidy intends to bridge the gap between private and public university tuition fees and is the main component of the “Education Equality 1+3 Scheme,” Tsai wrote in the post, referring to the subsidy and three supporting measures approved by the Cabinet in June last year.
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei Times
The first measure is an additional subsidy for economically disadvantaged students at private and public universities.
Students from families with household incomes of NT$700,000 or less are to receive an additional NT$20,000 subsidy annually, while those in the NT$700,000 to NT$900,000 income bracket are to receive NT$15,000 per year, the Cabinet’s Facebook post said.
Other measures include scrapping all high school and vocational high school fees, as well as relaxing eligibility requirements and repayment terms for student loans, Tsai said.
The tuition fee gap has been an important consideration for many students when choosing their future field of study, she said, adding that high tuition fees in private universities have also been burdensome for students and their families.
It was a hindrance to students’ freedom to choose what they study and which schools based on what best suits them, she said.
Tsai added that she worked with president-elect Vice President William Lai (賴清德) and Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to come up with the plan to relieve the financial pressure on young Taiwanese and their families.
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS