Yilan experimental school families protest education ministry

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Parents, teachers, and students from an experimental school in Yilan County protested outside the Ministry of Education, saying local control over experimental education is steadily eroding.

Reporters reported that the protest centered on Humanity Primary and Junior High School, one of Taiwan’s earliest publicly run experimental schools. Families said the Yilan County government took over management after a private contract ended in 2024, promised continuity, but later reduced school autonomy and cut programs.

“Procurement rules shut out civic groups and pushed the school toward a standard public-run model,” parents said. They said learner-centered courses were broken up, leaving students disengaged and more likely to transfer or turn to self-study.

Teachers said officials claimed to operate a dual-track system but, in practice, directed most time and resources to the fully public-run option. They added that the tender period for public-private management was too short and offered no formal feedback or revision mechanism.

“Hands-on and action learning once defined the school but have been replaced by rigid subject-based classes,” students said. Several added that the loss of choice hurt motivation and altered campus culture.

According to Flipped Education, the dispute reflects years of unresolved tension over the school’s experimental model. The school has long operated in legal gray areas, as innovative courses clashed with public-sector accounting, staffing, and fee rules.

The school relied heavily on parent participation and user-paid elective courses to support flexible programming. Critics said this raised equity concerns, while supporters argued costs still remained below private-school levels.

Parents at the protest said the education ministry failed to intervene despite repeated warnings. They said central agencies issued only broad guidance, leaving families to navigate shifting local rules.

The education ministry said it has heard the concerns and will follow up with the Yilan County government. Protesters urged the central government to establish clear legal safeguards to prevent experimental education from being gradually squeezed out by local governance.