The new academic calendar released yesterday by the Taiwan University System, a consortium of three universities headed by the National Taiwan University (NTU), followed the growing trend of shorter university semesters.
The Taiwan University System, which also includes National Taiwan Normal University and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, first tested the 16-week semester, which deviated from the then-common 18-week semester, in 2022.
For the new academic year that is to start in September, the consortium is to begin winter vacation two days earlier than last year.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, academic institutions including National Tsing Hua University and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University have said that they are considering following suit to have 16-week semesters.
Citing the Enforcement Rules of the University Act (大學法施行細則), the Ministry of Education said one university credit is defined as one credit per 18 hours of classes, and all lab and intern courses are defined as one credit per 36 hours and 54 hours respectively.
All members of the Taiwan University System still adhere to this definition — which ensures that all courses can be concluded within 16 weeks — despite their flexible semester schedules, the ministry said.
Also citing the University Act (大學法), the ministry said universities are obligated to report when adjusting the duration of semesters, as it affects students’ learning rights.
Schools should make applications to the ministry from Jan. 1 to Feb. 15 or from May 1 to June 15, if they wish to make adjustments to the number of weeks in a semester, it said.
Commenting on NTU’s intent to designate summer semesters an official semester, the ministry said that such a plan was “not recommended” in its April 13 meeting in 2022.
At the time it advised against having a third semester, citing controversial admission fees and other issues, the ministry said.
Universities are already allowed to schedule certain courses over the summer and they should take advantage of such policies, it added.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS