The Ministry of Education (MOE) reported on the 2015-2016 academic year admissions system for secondary education at today's Cabinet meeting.
After listening to the MOE's briefing, Premier Jiang Yi-huah affirmed that the ministry's revisions adhere to the original concepts for 12-year national fundamental education, respond to other circles' suggestions pragmatically and match the regulations in the Senior High School Education Act. He also expressed hope that the revisions will further guide students to develop special talents based on their own unique characteristics and improve the quality of education.
The 2014-2015 academic year is the first in which Taiwan has implemented 12-year national fundamental education, and there has been criticism about both regular ("exam-free" ) admission and admission to special/elite programs.
In response, the MOE hosted several public hearings, symposia and meetings of experts to extensively collect opinions from representatives of local governments, academics and specialists, civilian groups and secondary schools. It then announced the 2015-2016 admissions plan for senior high and vocational schools and five-year junior colleges on August 30.
The MOE proposed to undertake regular admission first, followed by admission to special/elite programs, for which applicants are required to take special tests. The ministry preserved the diverse admissions system to encourage even development of students' morality, intelligence, physical training, social skills and aesthetic senses, as well as to complete the placement of all students in one fell swoop.
Other revisions included raising the ratio of students accepted through regular admission, adjusting items that decide students' ranking order, supporting the disadvantaged so they can continue studying, shortening the processing time for admission, and delegating administration of admission to special programs to school districts. These are all areas in which adjustment was found to be necessary after the new system's first run this year, Jiang said, and the central and local governments will work together to make various admission regulations more comprehensive.
To ensure smooth placement of new students in 2015-2016, Premier Jiang instructed the MOE to assist the local governments to review relevant regulations and supplementary measures as soon as possible. He also urged the MOE to continue strengthening advocacy and communication about issues of public concern and to make sure that students and their parents understand clearly and as early as possible how the new system works so that they can be at ease and prepare for the next stage of studies.
Although the admissions system has received the most attention, the importance of lesson content and teaching methods cannot be neglected since both are related to the nation's overall competitiveness, personnel training and the elimination of the gap between the knowledge learned in school and the knowledge needed in the workplace, Jiang emphasized. He requested the MOE accelerate improvement of lesson content after review of the admissions system ends in order to spur educational innovation and improve teaching quality.
In the first round of admissions for the 2014-15 school year, 92.77 percent of students nationwide were accepted to secondary education, 83.97 percent to one of their top three choices.
Of the students who had listed a vocational school as their first choice, 83.3 percent matriculated to that school. This differs from the recent pattern of students preferring senior high schools to vocational schools, showing that vocational schools are rising in students' esteem, the MOE stated.
The acceptance rate for specialty enrollment exam participants was 69.32 percent, and 42.33 percent of those who took this test were accepted at their first-choice school. The total number of vacancies available for a second placement nationwide was 75,963, and 26,442 students took part in the process; of these, 24,324, or 93.39 percent, enrolled in a school.
Controversy has arisen over the sequential ordering systems adopted by different school districts to keep admissions procedures from taking too much time, the MOE said. Moreover, because the admissions quotas of traditionally competitive schools were low, students with high scores on the high school entrance exam were dissatisfied.
Hence, to guarantee students' educational rights are protected, the admissions reform plan for the 2015-2016 school year will preserve the spirit of 12-year fundamental education, resolve practical issues, take care of every kind of student through diverse admissions, lead schools to develop their own strengths, and significantly shorten the placement process, the MOE said.