TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Ministry of Education (教育部) will cease funding for new classroom constructions, Miaoli County Magistrate Chung Tung-chin (鍾東錦) announced Tuesday (Jan. 6), raising concerns over multiple school building projects. The decision affects several planned construction projects in the central Taiwan county, including new classroom facilities at local schools. Chung revealed these developments during a sports achievement recognition event, warning of significant potential impacts on Miaoli County's educational infrastructure.
The Ministry of Education responded by attributing the funding shift to recent amendments to the fiscal division law (財畫法), which have augmented local government resources. The ministry encouraged local governments to include new school construction in their own budgets, emphasizing that national education is a matter of local autonomy. This policy allows local governments to manage school establishments and allocate resources according to their priorities, the ministry stated.
The Miaoli County Education Department (苗栗縣府教育處) expressed concern over the ministry's communication, which could impact projects including the construction of 30 classrooms at Toufen Junior High School (頭份國中). Other affected facilities include those planned for School Districts 3 and 7 within Miaoli County, potentially affecting thousands of students. The county government is currently devising strategies to address these funding challenges and ensure continued progress on critical educational infrastructure projects across the region.
Despite the funding changes, the Ministry of Education highlighted its previous support, including a full subsidy of approximately NT$177 million (around US$5.62 million) for constructing 20 additional classrooms at Toufen Junior High School. The ministry noted that Miaoli County had completed planning and design for School District 7's teaching building using self-raised funds. The second phase of Toufen Junior High School's new teaching building was also designed with local funding, according to the ministry. ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$31.5)