Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen has unveiled her education policies.
The policies introduced Friday include more public child care programs, a test-free 12-year compulsory education, restructuring vocational education, upgrading the quality of higher education, and hiring teachers from more diverse backgrounds.
Tsai said another goal will be strengthening students’ ability to look toward the future.
“We hope that the education will be able to strengthen students’ six forward-looking abilities in the future," said Tsai.
"They include problem solving, aesthetics of life, knowledge building, interdisciplinary coordination, diversified innovation, and team work," she said. "This is to cultivate their ability to live independently, keep abreast of society and shoulder future challenges. In order to give students room to attain these abilities, the curriculum must be simplified and gradually relaxed so that a bottom-up curriculum reform can be launched.”
Tsai said her policies are aimed at keeping education in pace with society, lightening parents’ burden, and creating a happy learning environment for the younger generation. Cultivating mature 18-year-old citizens is also a major goal of her policies.