KMT Legislators Propose Extending Compulsory Education to Age 5; MOE Expresses Reservations

Taipei, Jun. 29 (CNA) -- Legislators from the Kuomintang (KMT) have proposed amending the Compulsory Education Act to extend compulsory education down to age 5, with the central government to bear the costs. Deputy Minister of Education Chang Liao Wan-chien stated on Wednesday that the mainstream academic opinion does not strongly advocate for this extension. Currently, parents face the greatest pressure from the economic burden of childcare, and the government's priority is to alleviate family burdens and increase the availability of affordable public childcare and education.

The Legislative Yuan's Education and Culture Committee reviewed amendments to regulations concerning the dismissal, non-reappointment, suspension, or severance of teachers in senior high schools and below, regulations for the performance evaluation of teachers in public senior high schools and below, and a draft amendment to the Compulsory Education Act proposed by KMT legislators.

At the beginning of the meeting, KMT convener Lo Ting-wei and legislator Lo Chih-chiang expressed dissatisfaction with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators for not signing a consent form for non-reconsideration, which prevented the bills from being discussed article by article. DPP legislators argued that extending compulsory education to age 5 is a significant issue and criticized the KMT for not reviewing the budgets for the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Sports. The committee ultimately passed a motion proposed by DPP legislators to limit the day's proceedings to question-and-answer sessions.

In a written report, Chang Liao Wan-chien indicated that including 5-year-olds in basic compulsory education would require at least an additional 1,431 classes. If children aged 3 to 5 were included, at least 14,356 additional classes would be needed. This could lead to shortages in school space and childcare personnel, potentially crowding out educational opportunities for 2- to 4-year-olds, impacting the operations of private kindergartens, and increasing the financial burden on local governments.

Chang Liao Wan-chien added that if the central government were to allocate budget funds, due to the implementation of the Fiscal Revenue and Expenditure Allocation Act, central government revenue sources are relatively insufficient, which would also increase local government expenditures. As this involves significant financial expenditure, local government opinions must be considered, and it is recommended to maintain the current provisions.

KMT legislator Ko Chih-en pointed out that extending compulsory education to age 5 has been discussed during both KMT and DPP administrations. She asked if the Ministry of Education's assessment of feasibility is very low and urged them to be clear if it's not feasible, rather than wavering between compulsory education and subsidies.

DPP legislator Lin Yi-chin stated that extending the compulsory school age to 5 requires an evaluation of its impact on a child's development. She also questioned whether the academic-oriented and utilitarian assessment pressures in Taiwan's education system would extend to preschool children. She cited Finland and Estonia as examples, where the school entry age is 7, yet their performance remains among the world's best.

Chang Liao Wan-chien reiterated that the age for compulsory education requires meticulous evaluation for each country, and the mainstream academic opinion does not strongly advocate for extending it downwards.

Chang Liao Wan-chien further explained that at present, parents' greatest pressure stems from the economic burden of childcare. The Ministry of Education's current policy is to alleviate family burdens as much as possible by encouraging the establishment of non-profit kindergartens, incorporating private kindergartens into the quasi-public mechanism, and increasing the supply of affordable public childcare and education. This is aimed at effectively and rapidly reducing parental burdens, with the expansion of affordable public childcare and education slots being a priority government policy.

DPP legislator Wu Si-yao emphasized that extending compulsory education is a major undertaking. If implemented hastily, it could harm the educational field before any benefits are realized. Changing even a single word can cause chaos in the education system, requiring new curricula, teaching assessments, space, personnel, administration, and school district assignments, all of which require funding.

However, Lo Ting-wei stated that the extension of compulsory education has been discussed for decades and there is no issue of hasty legislation. He expressed regret that the DPP did not allow for article-by-article discussion of the bill on Wednesday. (Editor: Lin Ke-lun) 1150629)