At the Cabinet meeting held today, Premier Jiang Yi-huah requested the Ministry of Education (MOE) to offer the public further explanation of the goals and implementation of Taiwan's new 12-year national fundamental education system, which was launched this year. He gave these instructions after hearing the MOE's report on the implementation of the system's exam-free admission mechanism.
"It is natural for a new system to cause unease among students and parents," noted the premier. He requested the MOE to set up dedicated hotlines for consultation services and work with all schools to provide sufficient information and alleviate people's anxiety.
The 15 school districts nationwide have each adopted different criteria for ranking students to determine admissions when the number of students aspiring to study in a certain school exceeds that school's enrollment quota. In response to criticism of this variation as "one country, many systems," Jiang requested the MOE to explain the separation of responsibilities between central and local governments to the public in a timely fashion. He also expressed hope that central and local governments will collaborate in publicizing the purpose and implementation of the 12-year education system and solicit opinions from society as a reference for future adjustment.
"The core concept of the new system is to respect students' differences in basic abilities without using exam scores as the only tool for measuring their performance," said the premier. "Through an exam-free mechanism, the system aims to encourage students to develop their potential and to choose the best school for themselves by offering them opportunities to explore their own aptitudes and interests."
The MOE was instructed to deepen students' and parents' understanding of the core concept of the new system through various channels. It is hoped that students can choose the senior high school, vocational school or five-year junior college that most suits them based on their aptitudes, interests and abilities instead of relying on their performance in the Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students as the only reference for filling in their school preference forms. The Ministry was also requested to continue discussions with various sectors about how to work out a relatively simple and fair admissions mechanism.
The MOE has started reviewing the various opinions about the mechanism from various sectors. The premier directed the ministry to continue meeting and discussing with local government officials, experts and scholars, and representatives from parents' and teachers' groups so that the first-year practical experience in implementation of the 12-year national fundamental education system can be used as a reference for adjustment next year.