Minister of Education visits CTU,participates in conference hosted by the university
英譯者／應外四甲 黃苑婷 指導老師／Alex Lobdell
On January 6, Chienkuo Technology University welcomed the Minister of Education, Dr. Cheng Jei-Cheng, and Legislators Lin Chang-Min and Lin Zheng-Er to CTU. Joining these distinguished guests at CTU were Chen Ming-yin, Director General of the Department of Technological and Vocation Education, and over 30 school presidents, principals, and school representatives who had traveled to CTU to take part in a conference addressing the current state of private education in Taiwan.
Before the afternoon conference began, Minister Cheng toured the CTU campus, and he and other officials took part in a tree-planting ceremony.
Cheng praised CTU, noting that only 40 years before, the site where CTU now stands was nothing more than an empty field; however, through the hard work of CTU Board Chairman Wu Lian-Hsing, the Board of Directors, and the school administrators and employees, CTU has expanded and improved its facilities and worked diligently to provide a sound education for young people.
Cheng said that he had heard, even before becoming Minister of Education, that CTU was managed by an efficient team, and after seeing the university first-hand, he knew that it was true.
Chairman Wu thanked Minister Cheng for coming to CTU and offering the university’s employees and students his encouragement. Chairman Wu and CTU President Huang Yen-Fei pledged to the minister that the faculty and staff of CTU would do their utmost to continue improving the university for future generations of students.
To express the university’s appreciation for Minister Cheng’s visit and for all the hard work he has done to benefit of education in Taiwan, Chairman Wu and President Huang presented Cheng with a carved statue of Confucius.
In the afternoon, Minister Cheng and Director-General Chen joined school leaders and educators from a range of private schools and universities for a meeting to discuss the current trends and challenges affecting private learning institutions. Participants in the meeting included President Wang Ren-Hong of the Yung Ta Institute of Technology and Commerce, President Luo Chuan- Jin of the Meiho Institute of Technology, Culture and Education Advisor Yang Dun-He, President Li Yi-Xu-Ying of Tsai Hsing High School and Elementary School, and President Hung Zheng-Zhe of Kainan University.
Items of discussion included the impact of the global economic downturn on private-education institutions, the shrinking numbers of students brought about by lower birth rates, and the issue of students from China studying in Taiwan.
Minister Cheng and Director-General Chen listened carefully to what the participants had to say and expressed their understanding of the difficulties brought about by the combined effects of a low birthrate and the financial crisis. Following the suggestion of Lin Chang-Min and Lin Zheng-Er, Cheng promised that he would ask his colleagues at the Ministry of Education to set up a meeting with private school leaders to discuss these issues further and to formulate an effective policy to help private institutions address and overcome the challenges they face.
Chairman Wu and President Huang expressed their support in this endeavor, encouraged the other participants to do the same, and pledged to continue to work to make CTU an excellent learning institution for students.
