Parent Groups Denounce Plans to Scrap Exam for Senior High School Admission
2016/05/25
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Parent Groups Denounce Plans to Scrap Exam for Senior High School Admission
Sources: All Taipei Newspapers
May 25, 2016
Ten parent groups from around Taiwan gathered in front of the Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday to protest against Education Minister Pan Wen-chung’s (潘文忠) announcement that the government would implement exam-free admissions to senior high schools in Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu immediately without offering any complementary measures. Parents groups expressed concerns that many wealthy parents would move their children’s household registry to the vicinity of elite public or private senior high schools so that their children could receive a better education when its new plan is fully implemented. Parent groups demanded that the MOE give all students an equal opportunity to attend elite schools based on academic achievements.
Tsai Meng-kai (蔡孟愷), a section chief in the K-12 Education Administration under the MOE, stated that right now high schools would continue the current regime, i.e., admitting students based on the comprehensive assessment examination and the Regulations for Pluralizing Recruitment and Admissions to Senior High Schools (高級中等學校多元入學招生辦法).
Zhou Mei-li (周美里), Chairperson of the 12-year National Education Program Parents Association, pointed out that implementation of exam-free admissions to senior high schools would lead to the collapse of Taiwan’s vocational schools. In the long run, the current elite public senior schools would lose their status and be replaced by expensive private senior schools which only the wealthy could afford. Zhou stated that the MOE should not use students studying in the outlying islands as guinea pigs. Zhou added that there was only one senior high school and one vocational school on each outlying island, so if most students wanted to study in the senior high school, would the MOE force some students to study in the vocational school? Therefore, exam-free admissions to senior high schools would fail in the outlying islands, Zhou concluded.
Su Yu-sheng (蘇祐晟), Chairman of the Preschool Education Parents Association, stated that President Tsai-Ing-wen claimed that her administration would be humble and communicate clearly with the public, but the Education Minister announced that the government planned to implement exam-free admissions to senior high schools without communicating with all circles. Su questioned whether the MOE’s decision was part of the DPP administration’s so-called transformational justice. Su ridiculed the DPP administration’s “uncivilized humility.”
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