MOE to review university structures amid student shortages

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung announced Monday (Nov. 6) the ministry's plans to review universities' proposals to adjust their departmental structures between February and March 2024. 

Pan stated that the ministry will pay attention to whether there is an imbalance in the humanities department.

He emphasized that the talents cultivated in the humanities, social sciences, and engineering are necessary for the nation's development, stating the current industrial state should not sway them.

The concern for university humanities programs has heightened following Shih Hsin University's proposal to close its Department of Chinese Literature by the 2025 academic year. Furthermore, rumors are circulating that Aletheia University's Department of Taiwanese Literature may cease operations.

Pan explained that universities have the legal right to ponder their future development and implement or adjust departments. However, adequate communication within university governance should take place, and university board meetings should approve changes.

Pan also mentioned an initiative launched by the Ministry of Education (MOE) allowing university students to earn credits in areas of interest and have those credits documented in their diplomas.

According to the MOE's statistics, in the 2024 academic year, there were a total of 846 departments linked to the arts and humanities among bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs. From 2020 to 2024, 65 new departments were established, 45 stopped recruiting, and nine merged.

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