Young adults' housing problems are important and urgent, and to hew closely to youths' views, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will use online crowdsourcing to gather their opinions on the subject and immediately respond to issues they are concerned about, Premier Mao Chi-kuo stated at today's Cabinet meeting.
The premier made these remarks after the MOE's report on its planning concepts for resolving youth housing issues. Mao said the MOE's use of crowdsourcing has good intentions and is a new way of doing things, and he hopes it will achieve good results. He asked the MOE to continue using diverse online and physical channels to gather the views of all sectors, let young people define the problems together, and outline plans for possible solutions.
The ministry's report mentioned a variety of ways to resolve young adults' housing problems, Mao said. For instance, discussions could be held on utilizing idle buildings or releasing public land for student housing or development bases for young graduates seeking employment or starting businesses.
Regarding the idea that the release of public land would help lower costs, the premier noted that while the resolution of present problems should be prioritized in the use of public land resources, this land is finite, and flexibility should be preserved by planners in order to leave opportunities for future choices to the next generation.
The MOE today submitted the Cabinet a report of interim motions and indicated that young people will be offered housing through the creation of "creative life cities" and the utilization of idle locations on school campuses. The ministry has also deliberated on plans to provide spaces within these areas for youths to engage in cultural exchange, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Government operations must respond and adapt to the rapid development of online and mobile communications and social websites as well as the rise of civic consciousness in the last couple years, Mao said. He reaffirmed that platforms and bridges between the physical and online worlds must be built, and a broader view must be taken of the relationships and positioning between policy and the Internet.
A white paper on Internet development and application policy must be written to establish the guiding principles for relevant policies, the premier stated. The process of the document's formulation has to go through a diverse array of channels, and a wide range of outside views must be incorporated, he instructed. This white paper would be a guide not only for the government but for all citizens participating in public affairs in the Internet era.
Mao asked the National Development Council to handle the planning of the white paper, Minister without Portfolio Woody Tyzz-jiun Duh and the Executive Yuan Office of Science and Technology to offer their professional assistance, and Vice Premier Chang San-cheng to supervise the project.