The Ministry of Education has called on universities to pay closer attention to students’ mental health after a Chaoyang University of Technology student earlier this month died by suicide after reportedly being unable to pay tuition fees.
Taichung City Councilor Lee Tien-sheng (李天生) said that the student, a second-year surnamed Lee (李), intended to take time off school to serve in the army and make money to support his family, which was struggling financially.
When the student tried to apply for an academic break, the university said he had to register and pay one-third of the semester’s tuition fee, which was about NT$18,000, the councilor cited the student’s grandfather as saying.
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei Times
The student reportedly killed himself the following day.
The university said Lee applied for time off on Sept. 30, after the semester had already begun, missing the Sept. 8 deadline for registration and Sept. 15 deadline to apply for a leave of absence without paying any fees.
Since he missed these deadlines, the university charged the fees according to the ministry’s regulations, it added.
The councilor said the student often missed classes in his first year, because he needed to work part-time and had previously applied for a reduced tuition.
The university should have been aware of the student’s financial situation and asked him if he needed assistance when he applied for a leave of absence, rather than just issuing a tuition bill, Lee Tien-sheng said.
The ministry said that although the student did not request financial assistance, university personnel still failed to properly understand the student’s situation, so his issues went unnoticed.
Department of Technological and Vocational Education Director Yang Hu-hui (楊玉惠) said that the university’s academic affairs office handles registration, while the student affairs office deals with students applying for reduced tuition.
If the student affairs office had informed the academic affairs office that Lee had applied for a reduction in fees last semester, the university could have taken the initiative to help, rather than just issuing a tuition bill, Yang said.
The university acknowledged that poor cross-departmental communication caused them to overlook the student’s situation.
The ministry urged the university to take steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring and called on people not to harshly criticize university staff, Yang said.
Schools should continue to monitor students who apply for tuition reductions or financial aid, and pay close attention to those who might require assistance, she said.
Additional reporting by Chen Chien-chih
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