The school reconstruction task force formed by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and local governments has reached an initial blueprint concerning how to proceed with reconstruction projects for schools damaged in the 921 earthquake, Vice Minister of Education Fan Sun-lu (范巽綠) said yesterday.
"Communication between the central and local governments is indispensable to facilitate the reconstruction projects. This is why we went to visit the quake-stricken regions once the task force was established," Fan said.
"Only through constant contact with local officials can we be updated with their real reconstruction needs," she said.
Fan last week traveled to five quake-hit counties, along with Minister of Education Ovid Tzeng (
Since Tzeng took office, he has repeatedly said that reconstruction of schools in quake-hit areas will be the top priority of his administration.
Recent reports said the MOE had previously suggested entrusting reconstruction projects to four professional construction management (PCM) companies, because the scope and complexity of the task preclude the ministry's ability to properly monitor the job.
PCMs are expected to apply improved management techniques in the planning, design and implementation of the reconstruction plan, saving costs and ensuring higher quality.
However, local government officials and local school authorities have raised concerns about how to choose quality PCMs and whether the companies selected will monopolize the reconstruction projects. Questions have also been raised as to whether the MOE will be able to fulfill its supervisory role in the projects.
Fan dismissed such worries, saying "PCMs merely assist in picking qualified architects, handling the bidding process for the contractors, and providing professional counsel on the bidding documents and operational measures. City governments and the school authorities are still in complete charge of the whole bidding process. Therefore, there should be no concerns about the PCMs monopolizing the process," added Fan.
According to the latest reports, 45 out of the total 174 schools in need of reconstruction decided to carry out their own renovations and rebuilding. The estimated reconstruction costs for these schools is about NT$610 million.
The remaining 129 schools are willing to receive assistance from PCMs, which have been allotted a budget of approximately NT$4.8 billion.
So far, Ya-hsin Company (
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
SECURITY: Grassroots civil servants would only need to disclose their travel, while those who have access to classified information would be subject to stricter regulations The government is considering requiring legislators and elected officials to obtain prior approval before traveling to China to prevent Chinese infiltration, an official familiar with national security said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) in March announced 17 measures to counter China’s growing infiltration efforts, including requiring all civil servants to make trips to China more transparent so they can be held publicly accountable. The official said that the government is considering amending the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) to require all civil servants to follow strict regulations before traveling to China.
‘MISGUIDED EDICT’: Two US representatives warned that Somalia’s passport move could result in severe retaliatory consequences and urged it to reverse its decision Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has ordered that a special project be launched to counter China’s “legal warfare” distorting UN Resolution 2758, a foreign affairs official said yesterday. Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday cited UN Resolution 2758 and Mogadishu’s compliance with the “one China” principle as it banned people from entering or transiting in the African nation using Taiwanese passports or other Taiwanese travel documents. The International Air Transport Association’s system shows that Taiwanese passport holders cannot enter Somalia or transit there. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) protested the move and warned Taiwanese against traveling to Somalia or Somaliland
RSS