Education

‘Arrogant’ NTU students under fire for proposal

LOFTY AMBITIONS:Going on a mountain-climbing trek is required by the Leadership Development Program, but this year students have to seek business sponsorships

Taipei Times
Date:  Jun 24, 2015　
By: Wu Po-hsuan and Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

A petition by 25 National Taiwan University (NTU) students seeking NT$500,000 in sponsorship to finance a climb of Nanhu Mountain (南湖大山) in Taichung has sparked a public furor with its wording, with critics calling them arrogant and elitist, while a school official defended them.

The students, who are all in the school’s Leadership Development Program, published their sponsorship proposal online, detailing a 10-day plan to scale the mountain to improve their leadership and teamwork abilities.

Their NT$500,000 budget includes NT$250,000 for mountaineering equipment.

Included in the rationale for the sponsorship proposal was the sentence: “Many of us will undoubtedly play influential roles in Taiwanese society.”

Leadership Development Program deputy director Chu Shi-wei (朱士維) yesterday said there was nothing wrong with the students being confident, adding that the group was not seeking crowdfunding, but business sponsorship.     [FULL  STORY]

Textbooks spark call for boycotts

Taipei Times
Date:  Apr 21, 2015
By: Abraham Gerber  /  Staff reporter

Civic groups yesterday announced a new alliance targeting Ministry of Education curriculum

Action Coalition of Civics Teachers spokesman Huang I-chung, right, holds up a textbook during a news conference in Taipei yesterday, calling on the Ministry of Education to withdraw certain curriculum changes. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times

Action Coalition of Civics Teachers spokesman Huang I-chung, right, holds up a textbook during a news conference in Taipei yesterday, calling on the Ministry of Education to withdraw certain curriculum changes. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times

adjustments, urging local governments to boycott textbooks based on the new guidelines.

Representatives from 21 organizations urged the ministry to withdraw the adjustments, publish relevant meeting records and draft new rules mandating public participation in future changes.

Changes to high-school social studies curriculum guidelines announced last year by the ministry fueled controversy over what critics called ideological bias and an opaque design process.

The ministry is appealing a court decision ordering the release of committee member names, meeting transcripts and voting records for the adjustments.     [FULL  STORY]