The number of cram schools in Taiwan this year reached a five-year high, despite admission quotas already outnumbering graduates from schools at lower levels in many districts due to the low birthrate, the latest data from the Ministry of Education showed.
As of June 26, Taiwan had 17,710 cram schools, up 328 from five years ago.
The number of test preparation cram schools rose by 402 to 15,599, or more than 88 percent, over the same period, while the number of enrichment classes fell by 74, the data showed.
Photo: Lo Kuo-chia, Taipei Times
Although six test prep cram schools closed from 2019 to 2022 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 209 opened from 2023 to this year, up by about 1 percent.
The estimated annual production value of all cram schools in Taiwan for primary and secondary education levels, including enrichment classes, is about NT$150 billion (US$5.2 billion), more than NT$100 billion of which comes from test prep cram schools.
Department of Lifelong Education official Wu Chia-fen (吳佳芬) on Saturday said that cram schools and after-school care centers cannot be established or operated without approval from local governments.
The cram school industry has rebounded after contracting during the pandemic, she said.
As many families are dual-income households with fewer children than previous generations, parents are more willing to invest in their child’s education, Wu said.
Another reason leading to the increase is that many cram schools offer small, personalized classes to align with parents’ needs, she added.
Elementary-school students have more leisure time than junior or senior-high school students, so they are enrolled in more enrichment classes, such as foreign language, music or painting programs, she said.
National Alliance of Parents Organization chairman Hsiao Tung-yuan (蕭東原) said the pressure to get kids into good schools is driving the increase in the number of cram schools.
The myth of competing for “top” schools persists even though examination systems have changed several times, he said.
For example, the system for high-school admissions has evolved from the joint entrance exam to the Basic Competency Test to the Comprehensive Assessment Program, but the pressure on students never changed, while the demand for tutoring increased, Hsiao said.
Enhancing children’s abilities to learn by themselves and apply digital learning resources would be a better choice than sending them to cram schools, he added.
National Parent Education Volunteer Association president Hsu Chu-lung (徐巨龍) said that dual-income families tend to send their children to cram schools, as they have to work and cannot pick up their kids directly after school or help them with homework.
The 410 Education Reform launched 31 years ago drove the proliferation of senior-high schools and universities, with the goal of promoting self-motivated learning, reducing the pressure of competing for scarce educational resources and achieving the goal of “higher education for all,” National Federation of Teachers’ Unions president Hou Chun-liang (侯俊良) said.
However, competitive pressure did not ease, despite sufficient admission opportunities due to sharply increased numbers of senior-high schools and universities, he said.
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