Article 1
This Act is enacted specifically to encourage lifelong learning, promote lifelong education, advance learning opportunities, and enhance the cultivation of the public.
Article 2
The term “competent authorities” in this Act means the following: the Ministry of Education at the central government level; the municipal government at the level of special municipality; the county or county-level city government at the level of county or county-level city.
Article 3
Terms used in this Act are defined as follows:
1. “Lifelong learning” means all kinds of learning activity undertaken throughout the entire course of an individual's life.
2. “Lifelong learning institution” means schools, agencies, institutions, and groups providing learning activities.
3. “Formal education” means the educational system with a hierarchical framework, from primary school to university.
4. “Informal education” means organized educational activities designed for specific purposes or target groups, outside of the formal education system.
5. “Community college” means an educational institution organized directly, or through outsourcing to another party, by a competent authority at the levels of municipality, county, or county-level city, to provide community residents with lifelong learning activities, outside the formal education system.
6. “Recurrent education” means a mode of education in which individuals, after graduating from or studying at a school, return to school to continue studying on a full-time or part-time basis. Their education, work, and leisure are undertaken through the process of alternation.
7. “Learning organization” means an organization that supports learning activities of members and takes effective measures to promote continued learning by members within the context of achieving the organization's goals, so that the individuals continue to grow and advance while the organization continues to pursue innovation and growth in function, structure, and culture, enabling the simultaneous development of the members and the organization.
8. “Paid learning system” means an agency or employer giving employees a fixed amount of paid leave to participate in lifelong learning, to enhance employees' work and professional competencies.
Article 4
The competent authorities at all levels of government shall undertake overall planning of lifelong learning policies, plans, and activities.
The competent authorities at all levels of government shall, pursuant to the preceding paragraph, coordinate, integrate, and supervise the undertaking of lifelong learning activities by the lifelong learning institutions within their jurisdiction or purview, to provide systematic, diversified learning opportunities.
The competent authorities at all levels of government, to guarantee lifelong learning resources for disadvantaged groups, and to bring about opportunities for them to reenter into service to society, shall prioritize making lifelong learning opportunities and resources available to indigenous people, physically or mentally challenged people, and low-income households.
Article 5
To promote lifelong learning for residents, local governments at all levels, in collaboration with non-governmental not-for-profit institutions, organizations, and groups, and with consideration to the various kinds of lifelong learning activities already existing in their locales, shall study and draft overall lifelong learning plans, and implement those plans after submitting them to the lifelong learning promotion committee under the relevant competent authority for deliberation and passage.
Article 6
The competent authorities at all levels of government shall establish lifelong learning promotion committees, which shall have the following missions:
1. Deliberate lifelong learning policies, plans, and activities.
2. Coordinate and direct lifelong learning institutions in promoting lifelong learning activities.
3. Provide direction for the overall development of lifelong learning.
4. Consultation on other related matters.
The members of the committees referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be appointed by the competent authority at the relevant level of government to serve in a concurrent capacity, and shall be selected from among scholars, experts, and representatives of lifelong learning institutions and government agencies; the members of a committee shall include a number of representatives of the disadvantaged groups referred to in Article 4, paragraph 3.
Article 7
The content of learning offered by a lifelong learning institution, in accordance with the level to which it corresponds, shall place emphasis on interconnectivity with preschool education, primary education, secondary education, or higher education; and in accordance with its nature, shall bolster integration between formal education and informal education.
Article 8
Schools of all kinds and levels, in the course of learning activities, shall foster in students, the philosophy, attitudes, capabilities, and methods of lifelong learning, and build up students' lifelong learning habits.
Article 9
To promote lifelong learning, provide members of the public with life competencies and cultivation in the humanities, and foster modern social citizens, the competent authorities at the levels of municipality, county, and county-level city may duly establish, or engage another party to establish community colleges.
The establishment, organization, teachers, curriculum, student enrollment, and other matters related to community colleges are to be decided by the local governments at the various levels.
Article 10
Government at all levels shall collaborate with non-scholastic educational institutions and cultural institutions, and utilize the resources of non-governmental not-for-profit institutions, organizations, and groups, to build learning network systems, and pioneer lifelong learning opportunities for members of the public.
Article 11
To promote lifelong learning activities and build a learning society, the competent authorities at all levels of government shall give guidance and incentives to lifelong learning institutions, and develop learning organizations.
Article 12
The competent authorities at all levels of government shall establish recurrent education systems at all levels and types to provide learning opportunities to satisfy members of the public’s need for lifelong learning.
Article 13
Government at all levels may raise funds or accept donations from groups and individuals, to establish incorporated lifelong learning foundations, to assist in promoting lifelong learning activities.
Article 14
Lifelong learning institutions shall give priority to engaging professionals, or assigning dedicated persons, to plan and promote lifelong learning activities.
The competent authorities shall provide personnel under the preceding paragraph with on-the-job continuing education opportunities.
Article 15
A lifelong learning institution may, as needed, use distance learning, online learning, or collaboration with mass media in conducting teaching, and supplement such education with face-to-face instruction, guidance through correspondence, or other appropriate teaching methods, to advance diversified learning opportunities.
To promote widespread availability of channels for lifelong learning, the government shall consider providing: funding subsidies or open incentives to television, radio, internet, print, or other relevant media for active participation in the broadcasting or production of lifelong learning programs or content, or for provision of certain hours or the scheduling of time slots for no-cost or low-cost for broadcasting of various kinds of lifelong learning programs. The regulations governing such subsidies or incentives shall be prescribed by the central competent authority.
Electronic media shall provide channels with a certain percentage of time slots broadcasting lifelong learning programs. Provisions related to the definition and the release hours and time slots of such programs shall be prescribed by the central competent authority in consultation with the competent authorities for target enterprises.
Article 16
To encourage the willingness of members of the public to participate in lifelong learning, the central competent authority shall establish learning achievement certification systems for informal education learning activities, to serve as a reference basis for recognition in school admissions or for consideration in job promotion evaluations.
The establishment of the learning achievement certification systems referred to in the preceding paragraph shall include curriculum approval, recognition of learning achievements, the period of validity of credits, conditions for recognition in admissions, and other related matters. The regulations therefore shall be prescribed by the central competent authority.
Article 17
To encourage members of the public to participate in lifelong learning activities, schools, agencies, institutions, and groups, having obtained permission from the competent authorities, may issue lifelong learning cards for the accumulation of learning hours, to serve as a basis for the recognition of learning achievements.
Article 18
The central competent authority may at their discretion subsidize the tuition paid by indigenous people, physically or mentally challenged people, and members of low-income households who participate in approved curricula under the regulations adopted pursuant to Article 16, paragraph 2.
Regulations governing the definition of indigenous people, physically or mentally challenged people, and low-income households, the method, percentage, and procedures for subsidization, and other relevant matters under the preceding paragraph shall be prescribed by the central competent authority.
Article 19
To encourage members of the public to participate in lifelong learning activities, government at all levels shall actively promote paid learning systems for employees.
The central competent authority may give incentives to agencies or employers that actively promote paid learning systems for employees.
Regulations governing the recipients, conditions, procedures, and methods for incentives, and other relevant matters under the preceding paragraph shall be prescribed by the central competent authority.
Article 20
Government at all levels shall allocate ample budgets to promote lifelong learning activities.
To promote balanced regional development of lifelong learning, the central competent authority shall provide funding subsidies on a priority basis to regions and target groups with special needs.
Article 21
The competent authorities at all levels of government may, in consultation with the competent authorities for target enterprises, supervise and evaluate lifelong learning institutions. Incentives shall be offered to those with good performance records.
Article 22
The Enforcement Rules to this Act shall be prescribed by the central competent authority.
Article 23
This Act shall come into force from the date of its promulgation.