At today's Cabinet's meeting, Premier Jiang Yi-huah instructed the Ministry of Education (MOE) to progressively implement its guidance, transformation and closure plans for struggling private schools such as Yung Ta Institute of Technology and Commerce (YTIT) while safeguarding students' and teachers' rights as well as the public good.
Jiang's instruction follows the MOE's recent order for YTIT to stop recruiting students for the 2014-2015 school year.
Due to the nation's declining birth rate, some private schools are finding it hard to continue operating and have even had to suspend student recruitment or terminate operations entirely, the premier explained.
The government has long ago foreseen these concerns, he assured: for example, the MOE made a comprehensive set of plans for at-risk schools several months ago, and Jiang himself chaired a meeting discussing the issue last September.
Ministries and government agencies must not shy away from problems caused by demographic changes and other inevitable trends, but instead ready response plans and proactive attitudes ahead of time to handle important national policies such as education, he emphasized.
With respect to YTIT, the premier directed the MOE to take follow-up measures properly addressing relevant matters and enhance communication with the public about its policy to prevent misunderstanding.