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July 12, 2009
'Eliminate elite schools'
TAIPEI - MORE than 1,000 students and their parents marched in the streets of Taipei on Sunday to demand the elimination of elite high schools in the hopes of easing pressure on children who study long hours to gain entry to the schools.
Taiwan now has nine years of mandatory, free education. The protesters are proposing that the public system be extended to 12 years, so students would not be forced to scramble to apply to high schools.
Authorities have sought to ease children's school work, but many students still go to cram schools after class, said Mr Hsieh Kuo-ching, head of the Taiwan Parents Alliance, which organised Sunday's protest.
But many parents oppose eliminating the elite high schools, fearing it would lead to a drop in Taiwan's educational standards, Education Minister Cheng Ruey-cheng told reporters on Sunday. He spoke before the march and did not attend.
Protest organisers said they want the government to begin 12-year mandatory education in 2012, saying most parents have lost patience and authorities should not put it off indefinitely.
Taiwan, which has strong Confucian values, has long stressed the scholastic achievements of children as a guarantee for a promising career. Most students face intense pressure to prepare for the competitive college entrance examination, seeking spots in the top universities.
But educators increasingly are asking whether that pressure, as well as the long-standing practice of studying by rote, has crushed children's curiosity. -- AP
July 12, 2009
'Eliminate elite schools'
TAIPEI - MORE than 1,000 students and their parents marched in the streets of Taipei on Sunday to demand the elimination of elite high schools in the hopes of easing pressure on children who study long hours to gain entry to the schools.
Taiwan now has nine years of mandatory, free education. The protesters are proposing that the public system be extended to 12 years, so students would not be forced to scramble to apply to high schools.
Authorities have sought to ease children's school work, but many students still go to cram schools after class, said Mr Hsieh Kuo-ching, head of the Taiwan Parents Alliance, which organised Sunday's protest.
But many parents oppose eliminating the elite high schools, fearing it would lead to a drop in Taiwan's educational standards, Education Minister Cheng Ruey-cheng told reporters on Sunday. He spoke before the march and did not attend.
Protest organisers said they want the government to begin 12-year mandatory education in 2012, saying most parents have lost patience and authorities should not put it off indefinitely.
Taiwan, which has strong Confucian values, has long stressed the scholastic achievements of children as a guarantee for a promising career. Most students face intense pressure to prepare for the competitive college entrance examination, seeking spots in the top universities.
But educators increasingly are asking whether that pressure, as well as the long-standing practice of studying by rote, has crushed children's curiosity. -- AP
