Universities’ efforts to recruit foreign students outside established programs would be scrutinized more closely, the Ministry of Education said yesterday, after Ugandan students accused Chung Chou University of Science and Technology of using them as laborers.
The ministry said it on Jan. 10 received a complaint from students saying that the university did not live up to what it had promised when recruiting them and instead exploited them as laborers.
Police on Friday last week questioned the university’s Department of Education Promotion director, surnamed Lan (藍), and its vice president, surnamed Chai (柴), the ministry said.
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei Times
Chai and Lan were suspected of breaching the Human Trafficking Prevention Act (人口販運防制法), the Employment Service Act (就業服務法) and the Criminal Code, it said.
The Changhua District Court approved prosecutors’ request to detain Lan, but released Chai on NT$300,000 bail.
The ministry yesterday told the Central News Agency that the university is suspected of breaching the University Act (大學法) and the Regulations Regarding International Students Undertaking Studies in Taiwan (外國學生來台就學辦法), and is barred from taking in any more foreign students.
The school is to conduct an internal investigation, the ministry said, adding that university president Huang Ssu-lun (黃思倫) has tendered his resignation.
Separately, the ministry said it would in March start a general review of the quality of education Taiwanese universities offer to foreign students.
Should any universities fail the review, they would be taken in by four designated schools, one each in the north, south, east and west of the nation, it said.
Deputy Minister of Education Lio Mon-chi (劉孟奇) said that the ministry would arrange unannounced inspections, focusing on irregularity with scheduling, course arrangements, the language courses are taught in and other aspects.
The ministry has a list of 20 universities considered at high risk of exploiting its students, Lio said, adding that the review would also include 158 vocational colleges.
Association of Private Universities and Colleges of Technology president Ko Tzu-hsiang (葛自祥) expressed understanding for the ministry’s concerns, saying that a unified standard should be adopted at all universities and vocational schools.
Private Education Association chairman Tang Yen-po (唐彥博) said that the ministry should announce inspections at least one day in advance, adding that the ministry should also draw up new laws regulating the sector.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
Weather conditions across Taiwan are expected to remain stable today, but cloudy to rainy skies are expected from tomorrow onward due to increasing moisture in the atmosphere, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). Daytime highs today are expected to hit 25-27°C in western Taiwan and 22-24°C in the eastern counties of Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung, data on the CWA website indicated. After sunset, temperatures could drop to 16-17°C in most parts of Taiwan. For tomorrow, precipitation is likely in northern Taiwan as a cloud system moves in from China. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover around 25°C, the CWA said. Starting Monday, areas
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS