Taipei: A citizen-initiated petition to delay junior and senior high school class starting times to 10 a.m. has gained more than 10,000 signatures in less than a week, prompting the Ministry of Education (MOE) to announce Monday that it will review the proposal and reply within two months.

According to Focus Taiwan, in Taiwan, most junior and senior high school students begin classes around 8 a.m. The petition, submitted on September 9 on the National Development Council's public policy participation website, calls for classes to run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and for nonessential courses to be cut to give students more sleep and improve learning efficiency.

The petition emphasizes that students can already commute independently and do not need to align their schedules with their parents' work hours. Additionally, the proposed shorter school hours are intended to provide students with more time for hobbies and social activities.

The petition also highlights that chronic sleep deprivation can reduce learning efficiency, increase depression, and raise the risk of self-harm or suicide among students. Conversely, opponents of the petition argue that shorter school hours might lead to increased attendance at private cram schools and fail to address issues such as late bedtimes.

The MOE stated on Monday that the petition will be processed in accordance with the Directions for Implementing Online Participation in Public Policy, with a formal response expected by November 14.