Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) is unveiling his education plan to subsidize tuition for private universities in Taiwan. The proposal aims to narrow the tuition gap between public and private universities and make college education more affordable.
Lai reiterated his campaign idea on Monday while meeting with the Kaohsiung Social Welfare Association, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to underprivileged families. Lai says the government has a responsibility to lower education costs for its citizens.
The idea proposed by the presidential candidate paints a picture of a fairer society with a safety net to assist those most in need. Lai says that attending a private university costs NT$50,000 (US$1,666) more per year than attending a public university. This he says is despite the fact that public universities in Taiwan have more student resources than private universities.
The proposal offers to cover half of the tuition gap, or NT$25,000. Lai says the proposal has received support from President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Chen Chien-ren (陳建仁).