Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (???) said Tuesday that he was mulling scrapping compulsory 7:30 a.m. study sessions at junior and senior high schools.

According to Pan, after several rounds of public hearings and expert meetings his ministry is considering wiping out exams during the early morning study period between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. to better build students’ time management abilities.

The policy change is being assessed for all junior and senior high schools nationwide, and the ministry is planning to publish related measures in early March, Pan said, adding that they would first apply mainly to senior high schools to give teenage students more flexibility.

Pan made the remarks in response to a proposal first raised by a netizen in December 2020 that suggested classes at junior and high schools nationwide should take place between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. to give students more free time.

The idea then sparked a heated debate on the government’s Public Policy Network Participation Platform, drawing the backing of more than 10,000 people, according to Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy.

The association issued a statement Monday urging the education ministry to work out a timetable to meet that end goal for the sake of children’s right to rest and good health.

In the statement, the association called for voluntary participation in the early morning study period and a cap on the number of morning assemblies per week so that students would not need to arrive at school before 8 a.m.

Meanwhile, a senior high school has taken the first step toward reform, announcing that it had scrapped compulsory early morning study periods and morning assemblies.

Students of Taipei Municipal Chenggong High School only need to arrive at the school before 8:10 a.m. from Feb. 11, the first day of the spring semester, while they are free to take part in the early morning study session or not.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel