The government plans to abolish entrance exams for 90 percent of junior high graduates when entering senior high schools, beginning in 2018 at the earliest.
Minister of Education Cheng Jei-cheng (鄭瑞城) said last week that the ministry was still considering whether to implement the plan in eight, 10 or 12 years starting from the 2010-2011 school year.
Under the plan, which Cheng said was almost complete, entrance exams would be given to 10 percent of junior high students who were willing to take the tests to gain admission to elite high schools.
However, those schools would still be required to provide a number of places for students through the open admissions system.
One unresolved issue is school catchment areas. At present, entrance exams are used to determine where junior high school students will go, but under the new plan students might generally attend schools in their neighborhoods.
The ministry does not want to force schools into specified districts, Cheng said, and is leaning toward the idea of zoning half of the school districts and letting the other half form naturally.
The ministry is also divided over whether junior high students’ academic performance should factor into which high school they attend, Cheng said.
Even those in favor of the idea acknowledge that more discussion on setting up standard measurements of performance are needed, he said.
Under the open admissions plan, high school and vocational school education may be free, Cheng said, adding that the ministry was discussing three versions of the free schooling plan, consistent with the spirit of a 12-year compulsory education system.
One version offers all senior education and vocational training for free and the second offers free education to students from low-income households.
A third alternative would offer vocational training for free to all students and free high school education for students from low-income households, he said.
The ministry estimates that offering free high school and vocational school education to all students would cost about NT$20 billion (US$61.45 million) annually.
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