More than 10 education groups on Tuesday issued a joint statement urging president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to hold a National Education Conference after his inauguration next month.
The statement referred to the agenda the groups proposed while parties were campaigning for the presidential election and the promises all the candidates made to hold a ninth National Education Conference if elected, reminding Lai of his commitment the day before the 30th anniversary of a demonstration calling for drastic education reform on April 10, 1994.
The eight previous conferences were held by the government in response to domestic and global changes, said Huang Cheng-chieh (黃政傑), who heads the National Academy for Educational Research.
Photo: CNA
It is time to host a ninth conference given the tremendous changes Taiwanese society has undergone since the last one was held in 2010, Huang said.
However, education workers have also called for deeper reflection and changes to the entire system, with many critical of the education reforms led by then-Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), Taiwan’s only Nobel laureate, 30 years ago.
At that time, demonstrators called for smaller classes with fewer than 30 students, more high schools and universities, modern teaching methods, and the drafting of an Educational Fundamental Act (教育基本法) to protect people’s right to learn, while establishing guidelines for basic education.
The demonstration led to the seventh National Education Conference two months later, and education reform was embraced, with the act passing in 1999.
National Federation of Teachers’ Unions president Hou Chun-liang (侯俊良) on Tuesday told a news conference that the reforms had largely failed in terms of realizing their stated goals.
While they led to the establishment of a lot more high schools and universities, this did not relieve pressure on students as promised, Hou said, adding that the increase in the number of high schools actually marginalized vocational schools.
High-school classes still have at least 35 students, with up to 45 in private high schools, federation deputy secretary-general Chung Cheng-hsin (鍾正信) said.
Only schools affected by Taiwan’s low birthrate have classes with fewer students, he added.
Citing the closure of many higher education institutions, federation official Lo Te-shui (羅德水) said the reforms had neglected to factor in population growth, adding that Taiwan needs to re-examine how education has developed over the past three decades to avoid making the same mistakes again.
Former minister of education Kuo Wei-fan (郭為藩) said he agreed with calls for a National Education Conference, describing it as a “physical” for the country’s educational system.
Such an event would not only draw public attention to education-related issues, but also allow experts to exchange opinions and draft plans, he added.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to