The China Post
Date: July 5, 2016
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Dozens of students rallied outside the Ministry of Education (MOE, 教育部)

Monday, calling for the abolition of “learning-centered assistantships” in favor of “employed assistantsaships,”which carry full benefits such as labor insurance and pensions.

One student was enraged to the point that she cracked an egg over the head of MOE official Huang Shu-Juan (王淑娟).

“We did not set out to throw eggs at Huang; they were prepared to be pelted at the ministry. Though we send apologies to Huang, we do not think the act was wrong. Huang refused to address the problem,” protest organizer National Student Labor Union (全國學生勞動組合) told The China Post.

The MOE and the Ministry of Labor (MOL, 勞動部) announced new guidelines in June of last year, which divided university teaching assistantships into two categories — learning-centered and employed assistantships.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/04
By: Chen Chih-chung and Lilian Wu

Taipei, July 4 (CNA) James Liao (廖俊智), the new president of Academia Sinica, said Monday that he hoped the nation’s top research institution can become the prime mover of academic and social progress in Taiwan.

That could be achieved by turning basic research into practical applications, such as flu vaccines, new uses of nanomaterials or diagnostic tools that can detect diseases early, said Liao at the start of a four-day meeting of the institution’s academicians.

Liao said that while Academia Sinica has a budget of about NT$10 billion (US$311 million), only about a third of it is left for research after payroll and equipment expenses are deducted, and he stressed that every research dollar needed to be put to maximum use.

He also appealed for the balanced development of the humanities, mathematics and engineering sciences, and bioscience at Academia Sinica.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/03
By: Chen Chih-chung and Kay Liu

Taipei, July 3 (CNA) Academicians are welcome to give their frank opinions on any issues

during their upcoming meeting that takes place every two years, Academia Sinica President James Liao (廖俊智) said Sunday.

The four-day convocation that will start Monday is expected to cover issues at home and abroad, and academicians can give their candid views on affairs within the research institute or concerning the country, Liao said when hosting a banquet for the country’s top researchers.

This will also be the first convocation for Liao, who was elected as an academician in 2014 and named to head the government-backed institute in June.

According to Academia Sinica, 195 of the 263 academicians signed up to attend the biennial meeting this year.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 4, 2016
By: Yuan-Ming Chiao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A trending topic in Taiwan in the past few weeks has been labor issues, from the striking flight attendants of national carrier China Airlines, to the recent government kerfuffle over how to implement the fabled 40-hour week for a workforce generally accustomed to long hours. Management teams are maneuvering to offset costs while workers are trying to overcome decades of depressed wages.

While the flight attendants could claim victory as their demands were quickly met amid a labor strike, the government’s decision last week to institute a “flexible day off” and to scale down on seven public holidays — which it restored just days beforehand — represents one of its steepest challenges to date: finding a workable middle ground between companies and their employees.

Following the shocking results of Brexit in the United Kingdom, Taiwan’s National Development Council minister rightly pointed out that events in Europe were less likely to have significant impact on Taiwan’s economy than would potential uncertainties brought on by disputes between labor and capital. Yet, correctly identifying the problem, while important, does not automatically translate to addressing the issues that can bring fundamental change.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 3, 2016
By: CNA

A student prepares for the next round of exams at a test site on Saturday, July 2. The second day of the annual college entrance exam tested students in Math, Chinese and English. Around 50,000 took the exam, including students from the science and liberal arts tracks. Banners supporting test-takers can be seen in the background.     [SOURCE]