The News Lens
Date: 2016/03/09
Translated and compiled by Yuan-ling Liang

On March 7, Wang Hao-yu, a young councilor of Zhongli District, Taoyuan City, posted on his Facebook page saying that teenagers in Taiwan spend the longest time at school in the world, which is “abnormal.” The average high school hours in Taiwan is 9.5 hours, starting from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., which is even longer than general working hours.

Wang lists the school hours of several countries in his post. In Germany, Japan, Mexico and Canada, the average is six hours; while in the US, UK and Australia it is 6.5 hours. In Argentina, the average is only four hours. Similar cases to Taiwan include South Korea and China with averages of eight and nine hours respectively.

Wang also says that this phenomenon needs reformation because “if students are used to excessive learning hours, in the future, they probably would not dare stand up against their bosses when asked to work overtime.”

Wang’s post has raised discussion. Most people support him, while some do not agree, saying that such pressure is necessary for students.     [FULL  STORY]