KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu proposed his education policies on Tuesday. He aims to expand the age range for free early childhood education and to increase the allowance for low-income families.
“We hope to lower the starting age [for free early childhood education from five] to three years of age. And there should be no income bias," said Chu. "The nation and the central government should provide subsidies for early childhood education, thus making public kindergartens free. Private kindergartens should cost 15,000 NT$ per semester, and extra allowances will be given to low-income families.”
Chu promotes to build more public childcare centers in offshore islands and in remote rural areas. In areas with adequate childcare centers, he wants to grant more education vouchers as financial assistance.
His policies also cover students with mental or physical disabilities, aboriginal students, and student with dysfunctional upbringings. He said most of these disadvantaged students enroll in private schools. The government thus needs to provide them with scholarship and zero-interest loans. They should bring more resources from public to private schools in order to help these students.
Chu emphasizes that Taiwan compulsory education should be easier. He said universities should recruit more Chinese and international students because its student population has been declining due to the low birth rate.