The Ministry of Education yesterday said it would take action against universities that might not be upholding students’ rights to privacy, following a report that nearly 40 percent of universities send grades to their parents.
The ministry said it would prosecute institutes that fail to observe students’ rights to privacy.
The announcement was made in light of changes to the Civil Code last year that lowered the age of majority to 18.
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei Times
The new age of majority has prompted universities to drop specific requirements such as requiring parents’ signatures for students to suspend their studies or drop out, as well as sending report cards to their parents.
The ministry said in its student rights report that only 61.8 percent of 152 institutes it surveyed had observed students’ privacy rights and did not send report cards to their parents.
The ministry commissioned National Taiwan Normal University to conduct the survey.
The ministry is complying with Constitutional Interpretation No. 684, which stated that university students can file administrative lawsuits to uphold their rights and that universities must uphold them.
The survey showed that 94.1 percent of institutes achieved “general” standards in upholding students’ rights, up from 91.7 percent in 2020.
It showed that 99.9 percent upheld students’ rights to work and equality.
Institutes have made the most progress in the categories of “punishments, rewards and complaints” and “freedom of expression,” the ministry said.
For example, 96.7 percent of student-funded posters, and institute news or other publications did not require a review by university staff, an immense improvement compared with 59.4 percent in 2020, it said.
However, institutes must improve their observance of students’ rights to privacy, the report said.
Twenty-six institutes have not told students that their personal information, including fingerprints and facial recognition data, is being used for educational purposes, it said.
Seventeen did not have dedicated personnel overseeing the storage of student information, which increased the risks of personal data being leaked, it said.
Most institutes observed regulations and had student representatives on-site when conducting dorm inspections, but 13 did not, it added.
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