Key points for kindergarten teacher-student ratio reduction

The Ministry of Education has not adjusted for 42 years, and the Ministry of Education invests 2 billion annually to reduce the quality of preschool education year by year.

[Reporter Lin Xiaoyun/Taipei Report] In response to the declining birth rate, the teacher-student ratio in kindergartens across the country has been reduced year by year starting from the new school year in August, with the goal of 1:12 for the 114 school year.

For the increased costs, the public and quasi-public will be paid by the government, and the Ministry of Education will assist parents in sharing part of the costs for private children.

The Ministry of Education stated yesterday that it plans to invest an average of 2 billion yuan per year from next year to 119, for a total of about 13.2 billion yuan.

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The Ministry of Education proposes 3 major principles for reducing the number of children and reducing the ratio of teachers and students

The teacher-student ratio in kindergartens has been reduced from 1:20 to 1:15 since the 1970s in the Republic of China. It has not changed for 42 years so far. However, the declining birth rate has reduced the number of births. People from all walks of life call for a reduction in the teacher-student ratio in kindergartens. Chiayi City and Kinmen County has taken the lead in lowering the price.

Minister of Education Pan Wenzhong explained the principles of reduction yesterday, including "not affecting the opportunity of parents to choose affordable educational services", "according to the public supply capacity of each region, the current situation of children of all ages in each kindergarten, etc., it will be gradually achieved in years", " In general private kindergartens, incentives are used instead of compulsion."

Public and quasi-public kindergartens will take three academic years, with public kindergartens first, and quasi-public kindergartens will be implemented from August next year, which will be included in the application requirements.

Generally, private kindergartens will go on the road in August next year, but respecting the willingness of each kindergarten to participate, the Ministry of Education will guide the reduction in the form of subsidies.

Up to the standard public and private children can get up to 200,000 per year

For the increased costs, the public and quasi-public will be paid by the government; for private children, the Ministry of Education will assist parents to share part of the cost.

The Ministry of Education has made an inventory. It is estimated that 2,322 kindergartens for quasi-public and private kindergartens have not yet reached the standard, and the teacher-student ratio for another 1,730 quasi-public and private kindergartens has dropped to 1:12. The Ministry of Education will provide two-year incentives Funding, 100,000 to 200,000 yuan per year.

The Ministry of Education held a meeting of directors of education bureaus of counties and cities across the country yesterday.

The New Taipei City Bureau of Education stated that the large area has resulted in high regional differences and different types of kindergartens. The number of kindergartens in rural areas and under-full kindergartens can reach the standard, but the proportion of publicization in urban areas has not reached 40%, and there are no large numbers of kindergartens. Classes can be added in the space. In order to take into account the needs of parents, there should be supporting facilities for increasing the number of teaching staff.

In addition, the New Taipei City Bureau of Education plans to add 100 classes of public kindergartens in the next four years, and the Ministry of Education is requested to fully subsidize the additional funds for the additional staff.

The industry urges that the number of public and kindergarten places should not be reduced and the number of classes should be increased

Hou Junliang, chairman of the National Federation of Teachers' Unions, said that the Ministry of Education's provision of cost subsidies for non-public kindergartens should be regarded as a temporary transitional measure in order to return to the right track of publicization, and the teacher-student ratio in kindergarten classes should also be reduced to 1:6 .

The cost of private children increases, and parents worry about the increase in fees

Xu Wenjing, chairman of the National Early Childhood Education Industry Union, said that the number of public and kindergarten enrollment should not be reduced. It should be supplemented by adding classes. For private children who reduce the teacher-student ratio, real rewards can be given, and information should be made public for parents to understand.

Parents of private kindergartens are worried that the fees will increase because of this, while private kindergarten operators say that everything is going up, and a reduction will inevitably increase costs, and it will be difficult to find education and security personnel.

The declining birthrate has reduced the number of newborns. People from all walks of life have called for the reduction of the teacher-student ratio in kindergartens. Chiayi City has taken the lead in reducing the ratio.

(Information photo, provided by Chiayi City Education Department)

The national kindergarten teacher-student ratio has been reduced year by year since the new school year in August, from the current 1:15 to 1:12 in the 114 school year.

The Ministry of Education plans to invest an average of 2 billion yuan per year from next year to 119.

(file photo)