academic year 結果共13筆

In Taipei City, a study reveals an increasing trend of poor vision among elementary and junior high students with age, with first graders showing a 25.9% rate, escalating to 77.4% in ninth graders. Female students exhibit higher rates of poor vision compared to males. Despite a slight decrease in elementary students and a minor increase among junior high students in the 2023 academic year, overall vision health has improved since 2014, attributed to the city’s efforts in annual professional vision screenings and promoting eye care awareness. The study also notes differences in vision health across school types, with public elementary schools and private junior high schools showing the highest rates of poor vision.

The University application screening results for the 2024 academic year in Taipei were announced, with 78,187 applicants and 63,449 passing, marking an 81.15% pass rate, the lowest in three years.

Taipei’s Ministry of Education and Harvard University signed an MOU for a five-year collaboration, sponsoring five Taiwanese students annually to pursue doctoral degrees at Harvard starting in 2025. The partnership marks Harvard as the 18th global top 100 university to establish a PhD scholarship scheme with Taiwan. The Ministry aims to deepen academic exchange and nurture globally recognized leaders through this collaboration.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on Taiwanese students’ eyesight, with 81.61% of high-school students, 73.16% of junior high school students, and 45.23% of elementary students experiencing poor eyesight in the 2022-2023 academic year. Excessive use of electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablets, is a major contributing factor to the prevalence of myopia, the most common eye condition among children. A survey conducted by the Child Welfare League Foundation in 2019 found that the average age at which children own their first phone is ten. Ophthalmologists warn that individuals with myopia over 500 degrees are three times more likely to develop glaucoma and 5.5 times more likely to develop cataracts compared to their peers. The risks escalate for those with myopia over 700 degrees, as they are 44 times more likely to experience retinal detachment and 127 times more likely to suffer macular degeneration. Even successful myopia laser correction does not eliminate the potential risks of ocular diseases, as thinning of eye tissues and elongation of the eye axis persist. The golden period for myopia control is considered to be between 3 to 18 years of age, and various strategies such as increased outdoor activities, the use of mydriatic agents, Orthokeratology, daily disposable contact lenses designed for myopia control, and the latest children’s vision management lenses can be employed. These alarming rates highlight the urgent need to strike a balance between technology use and effective prevention strategies and early treatment for Taiwanese children.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai and the president of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) have announced the future establishment of an NYCU branch campus in Kaohsiung. The new campus aims to recruit masters and doctoral students in the semiconductor and AI industries, providing high-end talents for Kaohsiung’s growing sectors. The campus plans to start recruiting for the 2025 academic year. NYCU president Lin Chi-hung cited two main reasons for establishing the branch: nurturing top talents and trailblazing research, and aligning with national talent cultivation policies. The new campus is conveniently located near Taiwan High Speed Rail’s Zuoying Station and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). It offers 15 professional meeting rooms, a 500-seat international conference hall, and a large exhibition hall accommodating 1,000 people. The Kaohsiung city government and NYCU have signed a cooperation agreement, and the new campus will be housed in the existing Garden Villa Hotel and the Civil Service Development Institute, following Ministry of Education regulations for campuses.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has released the registration rates for first-year students at various tertiary institutions for the academic year 112. Out of the 29 universities, 10 have achieved a 100% registration rate, while 19 have fallen short of the 60% mark. Surprisingly, as of 2023, 112 universities had at least one department with zero registered new students, including prestigious institutions like National Taiwan University (NTU). NTU alone had five departments without any registered doctoral students, namely the Department of Drama and Theater, Department of Geography, Institute of Oceanography, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, and the Doctoral Program in Microbiology. Other academic institutions with departments lacking registered students include National Tsing Hua University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, National Cheng Kung University, and National Chengchi University. Kao Yuan University had the lowest new student registration rate at just 15.7% for the 112 academic year. The only national institution that did not meet the registration standards was the National Taitung Junior College, with a rate below 60%.

The Taiwan Higher Education Union (THEU) has criticized the government for playing a false game with wage increases. While civil servants, including military and education personnel, are set to receive a 4 percent pay increase next year, over 21,000 technical and administrative staff at universities, about 70 percent, remain unsure of their raises. This uncertain group includes employees at private universities. The THEU believes that the government should not leave salaries of non-certified staff to the discretion of universities, as it causes division and lowers morale. Only around 9,000 public employees out of the approximately 31,000 full-time staff members at universities and colleges are certain about their pay rise next year. The THEU is concerned that the hardships of grassroots workers in tertiary education institutions are being overlooked amidst the upcoming presidential elections. They urge that national wage increases should apply to all university staff, with appropriate subsidies provided.

The Presidential Office in Taipei held a press conference to unveil the Lunar New Year’s greeting cards for 2024. The cards, designed by Yen Po-chun, feature a dragon motif combined with Taiwan’s scenic landscapes. The design aims to convey blessings for the Lunar New Year and wishes for prosperity, peacefulness, safety, and well-being for the nation. The card is in an ＂Mp4＂ format, with an animation that intertwines the dragon motif with the numbers 2024 and the word ＂LOVE,＂ symbolizing Taiwan’s vitality, hope, and vision for progress. Recipients of the greeting cards include heads of state, international dignitaries, ambassadors, representatives to Taiwan, local government figures, overseas Chinese community leaders, members of the legislative body, and notable figures from academic, cultural, and business sectors.

Indian badminton prodigy Raksha Kandasamy, winner of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Junior Championships in Cyprus, expressed her admiration for Taiwan’s most successful badminton player, Tai Tzu-ying. Ranked 9th in the world for junior women’s singles, the 16-year-old sees Tai as a role model. Kandasamy quickly rose to success on the BWF Youth Tournament circuit, winning titles in Cyprus and Bulgaria. Despite her achievements in badminton, Kandasamy is also committed to her academic performance. When asked about her favorite player, Kandasamy praised Tai Tzu-ying for her extraordinary stroke play and deceptive moves.

Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislator Lai Hsiang-ling has called for the inclusion of a formula in the Minimum Wage Act to guarantee that wage adjustments are not lower than the inflation rate. Meanwhile, New Power Party legislator Chiu Hsien-chih has demanded that representatives from the Ministry of Labor (MOL) be involved in the wage deliberation committee and that evaluation reports be made public before meetings. Lai has expressed concern about the lack of changes in the current draft of the Minimum Wage Act and the limited number of academic representatives on the committee. She has proposed increasing the number of labor representatives and considering factors such as the consumer price index annual increase rate, previous year levels, rent, and employment dependency ratios in annual wage adjustments. Lai has also suggested barring non-compliant small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from participating in government tenders.

Taiwan’s Minister of Education, Pan Wen-chung, has announced plans to review universities’ proposals to adjust their departmental structures in February and March next year. Pan emphasized the importance of cultivating talents in the humanities, social sciences, and engineering for the nation’s development, regardless of the current industrial state. Concerns have arisen over the potential closure of Shih Hsin University’s Department of Chinese Literature by the 2025 academic year and rumors of Aletheia University’s Department of Taiwanese Literature ceasing operations. Pan stated that universities have the right to ponder their future development and adjust departments, but changes should be approved by university board meetings and involve adequate communication within university governance. Additionally, the Ministry of Education has launched an initiative allowing university students to earn credits in areas of interest and have them documented in their diplomas. According to the Ministry’s statistics, there were a total of 846 arts and humanities departments among bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in the 2024 academic year. During the period from 2020 to 2024, 65 new departments were established, 45 stopped recruiting, and nine merged.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan will increase monthly academic research grants for professors, associate professors, and assistant professors at public universities starting next year. This move aims to address low wages for academic talent in Taiwan. The Executive Yuan has committed to investing NT＄33.29 billion over the next five years to support this initiative. The research grants for teaching staff at public universities will increase by NT＄6,000 to NT＄9,000 per month. Additionally, the Ministry will invest an additional NT＄860 million to encourage private universities to raise their faculty salaries, bridging the salary gap between public and private institutions. The efforts also include the introduction of new doctoral scholarships and subsidies for part-time teaching assistant positions for doctorate students. The MOE’s Department of Higher Education Director-General, Chu Chun-chang, stated that if private universities can increase academic research funding by 15%, the MOE will cover 70% of the cost. Furthermore, starting next year, the ＂flexible pay＂ system for outstanding teachers will be expanded, with increased subsidies.

Shih Hsin University is considering making adjustments between departments and may halt admissions to its Chinese Literature Department in 2025. Despite rumors that the decision is due to poor undergraduate enrollment rates, the department is not the worst-performing. The university reassured students that the department will only close its doors officially after all current undergraduate students have graduated. The decision to suspend admissions requires approval from the institution and other relevant entities, with the official suspension taking effect in the academic year of 2025 if approved this year. The Chinese Literature Department was established in 1998 as part of the university’s liberal education center, with a master’s program added in 2003 and a PhD program in 2007.