Admission to military schools requires applicants to hold household registration for 20 years, the Ministry of National Defense said today in response to controversy over a Nanjing-born student’s rejection from a military-affiliated medical school.
The student yesterday posted on social media that their application to matriculate at the National Defense Medical Center was rescinded once it was revealed that they was born in Nanjing, China.
The student, who identified themselves as a third-year student at the high school affiliated with National Taiwan Normal University, said they had aspired to become an emergency physician since childhood and chose to apply to the center after it gave a talk at their high school.
Photo: Screen grab from the National Defense Medical Center's Facebook
The student said that they hold household registration in Taiwan along with a Taiwanese ID card and passport, and did not know of their birthplace until they were 15.
Admission to military schools requires applicants to hold household registration in Taiwan for 20 years, the ministry said, adding that the student is welcome to join the armed forces once that requirement is met.
The student, who was born in Nanjing, applied for household registration in 2009 while simultaneously forfeiting their Chinese citizenship, the ministry said.
According to the rule, the student would not be eligible to apply for center until they are 22.
In social media posts, the student called it “unreasonable” that they would be subject to compulsory military service, but cannot volunteer for duty.
Aspiring students must pass a selection committee review before matriculating at a military school, the ministry said.
Admission materials for military schools include nationality and household registration requirements, it said, including that candidates must be citizens, cannot hold a foreign nationality and must have household registration in Taiwan.
For those born in China, they must have held household registration in Taiwan for 20 years, the ministry added.
This case was reviewed on April 17 and the candidate was found to not meet the requirements necessary for admittance, it said.
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