Student, teacher and labor rights organizations staged a protest in front of the Ministry of Education March 26 calling for no raise in university tuition and fees.
Education Minister Chiang Wei-ling had suggested earlier that universities be allowed to decide on their own tuition, and that the costs of attending public and private schools be brought closer together.
Presenting posters that read, “Education is not for sale,” and “Cut tuition,” students demanded that the government gradually reduce tuition, rather than allow it to be raised.
“Universities are not corporations, and we oppose any policy that would allow them to raise tuition fees at will,” a student representative said.
According to student groups, a year of university study costs NT$230,000 (US$7,764), or one-third of a middle-income household’s disposable income.
In the 2010 academic year, around 420,000 secondary and tertiary students borrowed money from banks to pay for their educations, which means that they will begin their working lives already heavily in debt, the groups said.
They suggested that the government expand the budget for public education by imposing a special tax on corporations.
In response, the MOE said it would take opinions from all sides into consideration while deliberating on the issue.
The Association of Private Universities and Colleges released a statement the same day arguing for a “rational adjustment” of tuition and fees reflecting the true costs of education. Given the increased number of universities and colleges and rising expenses, it is getting harder for them to maintain educational quality, the statement said.
“A university should be allowed the autonomy to determine its fee standards and develop its own characteristics,” it said. (THN)