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Title: Senior High School Education Act Ch
Date: 2013.07.10
Legislative: Enacted on July 10th, 2013
Content:

Chapter I General Principles

Article 1         Senior high school education is a continuance of 9-year national education, its ultimate purpose is to strengthen students’ mind and body, to develop their potentials, to lay the foundation for academic research as well as professional skill, and to cultivate quality citizens with balanced development in five aspects of education.

Article 2   9-year national education and senior high school education are integrated into 12-year national education.

               Under the Compulsory Education Act, 9-year national education enrollment is exam-free, tuition-free and compulsory. According to this Act, senior high school education is primarily exam-free; students are voluntarily enrolled to schools based on their inclination, interest and merit, and shall be enrolled tuition-free pending on certain requirements.

Article 3 The competent authority in this Act refers to: the Ministry of Education for the central government; governments of special municipality for the special municipality; county (city) governments for the county (city).

Chapter II Establishment, Classification, and Evaluation

Article 4   Senior high schools are established by the central government, governments of special municipality, county (city) governments, or by private party according to the Private School Act.

Senior high schools are either national, special municipal, county (city) or private based on its main body (i.e. central government, special municipality government, city (county) government or private sectors), with its establishment, conversion, or termination stipulated according to the following regulations:

1.     National: certified by the central competent authority;

2.     Special municipal: certified by the municipal competent authority and reported to the central competent authority for record;

3.     County (city): certified by the county (city) competent authority and reported to the central competent authority for record;

4.     Private: special municipality level schools are certified by the municipal competent authority and reported to the central competent authority for record; county (city) level ones are certified by the central competent authority.

Senior high schools may establish another campus or mini-campus.

Regulations of campus space, buildings, facilities, establishment budget, teaching faculties, requirements of conversion or termination, approval procedures, and other relevant matters regarding the establishment of senior high schools, their campus or mini-campus shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 5 Senior high schools are classified as follows:

1.     Regular: the core curriculum provides fundamental subjects to strengthen students’ general competencies;

2.     Skill-based: the core curriculum provides professional subjects and practicum, which encompasses practical skills and cooperative education, to strengthen students’ professional skills and occupational ability.

3.     Comprehensive: the curriculum provides fundamental subjects, professional subjects and practicum that guides students to appropriate channels;

4.     Specialty-based: the core curriculum features a specific subject or field to target students with a special aptitude.

Article 6   Except specialty-based, schools of all classifications specified in the previous Article may establish programs, disciplines and areas.

               Regular senior high school certified to be established by the corresponding competent authorities specified in Subparagraphs of Paragraph 2, Article 4 (herein referred to as the corresponding competent authorities) may establish professional programs, disciplines, and comprehensive programs.

              Skill-based senior high school shall, in principle, be established in one category; however, the school may encompass two categories if necessary. Each category shall have several programs, and each program shall incorporate more than one discipline, otherwise the program will be degenerated. Once the school is certified by the corresponding competent authority, it may establish regular as well as comprehensive high school programs.

               School categories stated in the previous Paragraph refer to those programs and disciplines that address the need of national development and industries growth; its classification of categories shall follow curricular guidelines stipulated by the central competent authority.

               Study programs stated in Paragraphs 1 to 3 refer to professional disciplines and areas that are of homogenous nature; classification of programs shall follow curricular guidelines stipulated by the central competent authority.

               Regulations of the establishment, conversion, and termination of senior high schools and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 7   Senior high schools certified by the corresponding competent authorities may establish junior high school division in the same special municipality, or county (city).

               In consideration of consistent education in junior high and elementary schools, once certified by the corresponding competent authorities, senior high schools that have established affiliated junior high school division can establish elementary school division in the same special municipality, or county (city).

               Relevant regulations of the Compulsory Education Act are applicable to the junior high school and elementary school division thereby established.

Article 8   To provide those who have received national education with opportunities of further education, senior high schools may establish continuing education division to conduct further education once certified by the corresponding competent authorities.

               Course content of senior high schools’ continuing education division shall address students’ learning and social needs, and the curriculum shall be designed according to curricular guidelines stipulated by the central competent authority. They may offer daily weekday courses, non-daily weekday courses, or weekend courses. It may be applicable to inmates in correctional institutions.

               Learning evaluation approaches for students of continuing education division at senior high schools shall be stipulated by the central competent authority; students who complete courses with passing grades shall be permitted to graduate.

Article 9   Names of public senior high schools shall be designated by the corresponding competent authorities based on the classification of school categories, study programs and disciplines. Private senior high schools may not use place names as their school names; its name shall be designated by the school’s judicial person during the process of incorporation. Without the approval of the corresponding competent authorities, school names can not be changed.

               If the name of a private senior high school confuses the general public with another school, the corresponding competent authorities shall request it to change its name.

               Senior high schools established before this Act is implemented may carry their original names.

Article 10 To conform to the development of industries and provide students with workplace hands-on learning and cooperative education, senior high schools may conduct cooperative education programs; relevant matters regarding cooperative education shall be stipulated by other acts.

               To address the demand of lifelong learning, senior high schools may cooperate with public and private sectors and social groups to conduct continuing education programs; regulations regarding the conduction shall be stipulated by the corresponding competent authorities.

Article 11 Senior high schools shall routinely conduct self-evaluation on matters such as teaching, mentoring, school affair administration and student participation; the regulations shall be stipulated by each school.

               To help senior high schools excel, the competent authorities shall routinely conduct school evaluation and declare the results which serve as an indicator to guide schools’ adjustment and development; regulations of evaluation shall be stipulated by the corresponding competent authorities.

Article 12 To promote diversified development of education and to improve education quality, the competent authorities may assign or approve public and private senior high schools to conduct overall or partial experimental program; regulations of the experimental duration, scope, application requirements and procedures and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

               For schools that implement overall or partial experimental program, its experimental curriculum may lies outside the scope of the curricular guidelines stipulated in Paragraph 1 of Article 43. For schools that implement overall experimental program of education, its establishment requirements may lies outside the scope of the regulations stipulated in Paragraph 4 of Article 4.

Article 13 To protect students’ learning right and parents’ right of educational choice, senior high school education can be conducted with non-school mode in terms of experimental education, managed through individuals, groups, or institutions. Regulations regarding the following relevant matters: application requirements and procedures, students’ qualification of education, courses, management of student status, assessment of learning, graduation requirements, visiting and mentoring, fees and governmental subsidy, shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Chapter III Hiring and Evaluation of Principals

Article 14 Each senior high school is assigned with one full-time principal to manage school affairs; with the permission of the competent authority, the president may teach part-time at the school where he or she manages, or at other schools.

               The principal of a public senior high school shall be appointed and selected by the corresponding competent authority from the qualified candidates. The principal of a senior high school affiliated with universities of education shall be selected by the corresponding university from the qualified candidates and reported to the corresponding competent authority for record, the selection process can also be delegated to the corresponding competent authority if so wishes. The qualified candidates for the principal of a private senior high school shall be selected by the board of the school trust and appointed after reporting to the competent authority.

               Principals of senior high schools shall serve a specified term. Principals of public schools shall serve a term that lasts four years. Currently employed principals that participate in the selection shall receive appraisal regarding school-running performance; those who have great performances appraised by the selection committee may serve a second consecutive term at the same school or may be prioritized during the selection process at other schools that are actively searching for principals. Principals that have not completed their first term of office or half of the second consecutive term may not participate in the selection of principal at other schools. Regulations regarding matters related to the term of private school principal and the second consecutive term shall be stipulated by the board of the school endowment corporation.

               Currently employed principals of junior high and elementary schools who meet the requirements of senior high school principals may not participate in the selection of senior high school principals if they have not completed their first term of office or half of the second consecutive term.

               To conduct the selection process in Paragraph 2, the competent authority or the board of trustees of the school’s judicial person shall convene a search committee; regulations governing the components of a search committee, selection approaches, procedure, standard, appraisal of principals’ school-running performance, employment of principals and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 15 For currently employed principals of public senior high schools who are not re-elected or removed from the position due to certain reasons, while possess teaching qualifications and are willing to return as teachers, unless involved in situations leading to being dismissed, suspended, or denied a renewed employment according to the Teacher’s Act, they shall be assigned by the corresponding competent authorities to teach at schools without being assessed by the teachers’ appraisal committee.

               In respect to principals stated in the previous Paragraph who do not possess teaching qualifications or who possess teaching qualifications but are not willing to return as teachers, the corresponding competent authorities may:

1. Grant the retirement of those who have met retirement requirements and who wish to retire voluntarily;

2. Depending on their wishes and qualifications, give those who have not met retirement requirements or who do not wish to retire voluntarily priority for other positions, the priority of reallocation opportunities or resign bonus.

Article 16 The competent authorities shall form an evaluation panel to conduct yearly evaluation on the performance of public senior high school principals; regulations regarding the components and missions of the evaluation panel, evaluation procedure, evaluation levels, categories of rewards and penalties, notification of evaluation results, appeals and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 17 With factual information of incompetence, public senior high school principals shall be removed from the position, transferred to other positions, or dealt with by other means by the competent authority according to relevant regulations; private senior high school principals shall be dealt with by the board of trustees of the school’s judicial person according to relevant regulations.

Chapter IV Organization and Meeting

Article 18 To manage its academic affairs, student affairs, general affairs, internship, information, research and development, continuing education, special education, cooperative education, and technology exchange, senior high schools shall establish offices (sections) as its tier-one units which may govern divisions (programs and disciplines) as tier-two units for its operations.

Article 19 Senior high school may appoint one vice principal; one director or program director on its tier-one units; one program chairperson, and coordinator in its tier-two units.

               The vice principal shall be appointed by the principal among those who served in a position of tier-one program director or higher position. Tier-one director or program director, tier-two program chairperson or coordinator shall all be appointed by the principal among full-time teachers, with the exception of the general affairs division to be headed by teachers on part time basis or by staff members on full-time basis.

               Tier- two department chief shall be appointed by the principal among teachers on part time basis or among staff members on full-time basis, with the exception of department chiefs of the general affairs division to be appointed among staff members on full-time basis, and the exception of department chiefs in life mentoring of the student affairs division to be appointed by personnel with counseling competencies to serve in full time basis.

Article 20 Senior high school shall establish a counseling office (section) managed by full-time counseling teachers, who are selected by the principle among candidates with professional counseling competencies.

               A senior high school’s counseling office (section) shall be headed by one director, who will be selected by the principal among full-time counseling teachers, to serve on a part time basis.

               A senior high school shall establish a counseling committee with a committee chair acted by the principal on a part time basis; other committee members are selected by the principal from faculty and staff to serve on a part time basis; the principal shall be in charge of coordinating counseling works of all offices (sections) and shall appoint the director of the counseling office (section) to serve as the executive secretary on a part time basis.

Article 21       Senior high school shall establish a library with a full-time director with professional competencies selected by the principal; if necessary, a full-time teacher with professional competencies may be appointed to serve as the director on a part time basis.

Article 22 Public senior high school shall establish a personnel management branch according to relevant laws and conduct personnel management matters accordingly.

               Private senior high school shall establish a personnel office or appoint a personnel officer; qualified member may be appointed by the principal among full-time teachers to serve on part time basis or among staff members to serve on full-time.

Article 23 Public senior high school shall establish budget, accounting and statistics (BAS) branch according to relevant laws to conduct budgeting, accounting and statistics matters accordingly.

               Private senior high school shall establish accounting office and appoint accounting personnel according the Private School Act and its relevant regulations.

Article 24 Regulations governing the establishment of organizations and standards of staffing shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

               If nursing teachers, who are employed according to regulations before this Act is enacted, continue to serve after this Act is enacted, their staffing standards shall follow regulation stipulated in the previous Paragraph.

Article 25 Senior high schools shall conduct general meetings to examine matters as follows:

1. Important matters such as school development and campus master plan;

2. Important rules and regulations stipulated according to the laws or implied within one’s duty;

3. Academic affairs, school affairs, general affairs and other important campus matters;

4. Other matters that shall be resolved by general meetings based on laws.

Members of the general meeting include the principal, director or chairperson of each unit, full-time teachers or representatives of teachers, representatives of staff members and representatives of parents’ association; the number, ratio,  recruitment and resolution approaches shall be prescribed by each school and reported to the competent authority for record. The elected representatives of students shall also participate in the general meeting.

The general meeting shall be convened and hosted by the principal at least once every semester; the principal shall convene a general meeting within 15 days from the date when more than 1/5 of the meeting’s representatives request for an ad hoc general meeting.

Article 26 Besides committees that shall be established in accordance with the law, to promote and develop school affairs, a senior high school may establish all kinds of committees based on the general meeting’s resolution; the composition and mission of those committees shall be prescribed by each school.

Article 27 Senior high school shall establish a parents’ association, comprising of parents of the students. The parents’ association shall be named after its school. The regulations governing the organization’s rules and regulations, mission, number of committee members, ways of recruiting committee members, term, election and recall, procedural rules, source of funds, financial management and operation, and other relevant issues shall be stipulated by the corresponding competent authorities.

Chapter V Employment and Evaluation of Faculty and Staff

Article 28 Senior high schools teachers shall be appointed on full-time basis; under special circumstances, teachers may be hired on part-time basis.

               A senior high school may jointly appoint a teacher with another school because of interschool cooperation, course needs, or under special circumstances, and the teacher shall be appointed on a full-time basis in one of the schools. The requirements and ratio limitation for jointly appointed teachers, their rights and obligations, and other matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

               Teacher transfer among public senior high schools shall be handled by the transfer panel established independently or jointly by the competent authorities; organization, transfer requirements and operational guidelines of such transfer panel shall be stipulated by the corresponding competent authorities.

Article 29 Senior high schools may appoint teachers of with professional or technical expertise. Teachers with practical experience shall be selected among qualified candidates to teach professional or technical subjects; their employment, dismissal, suspension, denial of a renewed employment, leave of absence, complaints, pay, benefits, retirement, insurance policy, and resign benefit shall follow the teacher’s relevant laws; their ranking, qualification, advanced study, performance evaluation, and other rights and interests shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 30 Senior high schools shall have one class room instructor for each class, whose appointment will be determined by the principal among full-time teachers to serve on a full time basis. However, the number of class room instructor can be increased in cooperative education class if necessary.

Article 31 Senior high schools shall employ directors of military instruction and military instructors; regulations regarding their staffing, staff number, qualification, and selection matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority along with the Ministry of National Defense; their responsibilities, transfer, promotion, advanced study, complaint and other matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority

Article 32 The standard of weekly teaching hours for public senior high schools’ full-time teachers, jointly employed teachers, professional and technical teachers, as well as those who assume class room instructor duty, or administrative post on a part time basis, shall be stipulated by the corresponding competent authorities.

Article 33 The competent authorities shall conduct yearly evaluation on public senior high school teachers; the evaluation committee’s organization, mission, evaluation procedure, evaluation indicators, evaluation grades, categories of rewards and penalties, notification of results and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Chapter VI Student Qualification, Admission, and Division of Attendance Area

Article 34 Junior high school graduates or those with high school equivalent, are qualified to be admitted to senior high schools; standards of identifying high school equivalent shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 35 To develop multiple intelligences and cultivate innovative graduates, senior high schools shall adopt the diversified entrance program for its student recruitment. The diversified entrance program focuses on open admission; schools certified by the competent authorities may conduct specialty enrollment subject to certain quotas.

               The quotas for open admission in each school district shall account for more than 75% of the total number for authorized entering class in the school year of 103, and shall be gradually phrased to its increase throughout the years; until it reaches more than 85% of entering class in the school year of 108.

               The total quotas of open admission includes direct admission quota for graduates from the affiliated junior high school division; regulations governing the quotas for direct admission are as follows:

1.     Public senior high schools’ quotas for direct admission: no higher than 35% of the number of graduates from the affiliated junior high division in the same year.

2.     Special municipal or county (city) senior high schools’ quotas for direct admission: stipulated by the municipal or county (city) competent authority.

3.     Private senior high schools’ quotas for direct admission: no higher than 60% of the schools’ total number of authorized entering class for the school year of 103. However, if a school’s number of students in its affiliated junior high school division is less than that of the school’s authorized entering class, the quotas for direct admission may not be higher than 60% of the number of graduates from its affiliated high school division in the same year; the percentage shall be gradually phrased down throughout the years, until it reaches (no higher than) 50% in the school year of 108.

4.     If regulations governing the percentage of direct admission stipulated by each school district are more restrictive than this Act, such regulations shall be followed instead.

If private senior high schools violate acts and regulations by using examination or special screening device to admit students to their junior high and elementary divisions and such cases have been confirmed by the corresponding competent authorities, the authorized quotas for direct admission stated in Subparagraph 3 of the previous Paragraph for those schools shall be deducted from the following school years based on the percentage of violation cases.

The percentage of open admission offered by each school for the school year of 103 may not be lower than 25% of the school’s total quotas for authorized entering class, subject to review and adjustment in the following years.

Private senior high schools that are not established through the government grant and do not receive incentives and subsidies from government based on Article 59 of the Private School Act, and its tuitions are not co-paid by government based on Article 56, may formulate curriculum plans, reasons of applying for independent entrance, as well as entrance scope and implementation, and conduct independent enrollment without being restricted by the enrollment regulations of this Act, after reporting to and certified by the corresponding competent authorities, subject to an open admission quotas that is no lower than 15% of each school’s total quotas for authorized entering class.       Schools that conduct direct admission based on Paragraph 3 shall follow the procedure and ranking regulations stipulated by Paragraph 4 of Article 37 to settle for a tie when quotas have been exceeded.                Each junior high school shall help its students in their self-realization and exploration, providing them with adaptive counseling depending on their ability, inclination, and interest, and shall advise them on further education choices and help them securing admission to the senior high schools.

Article 36 If private senior high schools’ admission programs are not formulated and implemented in accordance with the regulations of this Act, and are not reported and certified by the competent authority, the tuition-waiver regulation in Article 56 will not be applicable to their students.

               Private senior high schools shall support the implementation of 12-year national education based on the following principles:

1.     Cultivating students to achieve balanced development in five aspects of education;

2.     Hiring sufficient qualified teachers to teach based on their expertise;

3.     Providing students with counseling for adaptive development;

4.     Implementing normalization of teaching consistently.

Article 37 Students shall apply to senior high schools that conduct the open admission program without taking the entrance examination.

               Under the open admission program, full admission shall be granted to all applicants if the number of student applicants does not exceed the competent authority’s authorized number for entering class.

               Under the open admission program, if the number of student applicants exceeds the competent authority’s authorized number for entering class, the final student enrollment number shall be stipulated by the special municipal city, county (city) competent authorities along with the competent authority of each school district and reported to the central competent authority for record. However, skill-based and specialty-based senior high schools are not subject to such requirement as they need special enrollment programs tailored for their need; they can formulate their curriculum plans, enrollment plans, quota and open admission procedure, and report to the corresponding competent authorities for approval.

              Regarding the previous Paragraph, students’ performance in health and sports, arts and humanities, and integrative activity may be used in cases where a tie need to be settled, while performances in other learning areas should not be counted as tie breaker.

               Regulations regarding the tie settlement mechanism of open admission program in cases where quotas have been exceeded, the related procedures, and other matters shall be declared within one month from the date when this Act is enacted for the school year of 103, while for future school years, the regulations shall be declared one year in advance.

Article 38 Senior high schools that conduct specialty enrollment shall select their students through academic subject exams, or through special screening process such as technical subject performance.

               The corresponding competent authorities shall declare specialty enrollment’s requirements and quotas based on senior high schools’ evaluation results, yearly enrollment performances, student performances, and curriculum plans, etc.

               Senior high schools may conduct its specialty enrollment after formulating plans and quotas according to the announcement stated in the previous Paragraph, and report to the corresponding competent authorities for approval; each competent authority shall review the application on a school by school and class by class basis, and state the reasons of its approval.

               The content of the plans mentioned in the previous Paragraph shall include specialty enrollment’s goal, curriculum and teaching plan, as well as career and employment plan for students.

               Specialty enrollment that select students through academic subject exams stated in Paragraph 1 shall be conducted after the open admission. The remaining quotas after the open admission may not be transferred to specialty enrollment.

Article 39 Municipal or county (city) competent authority shall work independently or jointly with other competent authorities by taking into account of each school’s source of new students from (and outside of) an administrative district, common living area among different districts, access to transportation, and school type and distribution; to plan on school districts in the previous two Articles, and report to the central competent authority for approval before announced.

Before approving matters based on the previous Paragraph, the central competent authority may invite relevant municipal or county (city) competent authorities, junior high and senior high school representatives as well as scholars and professionals for relevant discussions.

Article 40 Regulations regarding matters of the following and other matters to be followed mentioned in Article 35 to Article 39 shall be stipulated by the central competent authority jointly with the municipal or county (city) competent authority: the diversified entrance program and its target students, implementation district, range and approaches, and application deadline; quotas and percentage of each entrance program; ways of examination and special screening for specialty enrollment; principles and procedure of dividing school districts; each competent authority’s and school’s organizations and responsibilities; private senior high schools whose admissions are not subject to restrictions, its range, as well as their ranges, applications and procedures.

Article 41 The following students are not restricted by the previous Article’s operational guidelines in terms of their admission; their identity, quotas, application method, schedule, principles of enrollment, and other important matters regarding admission shall be stipulated by the central competent authority:

1.     Students with disabilities;

2.     Indigenous students;

3.     Students from major disaster-stricken areas;

4.     Children of governmental expatriate employees;

5.     Students with outstanding performances in international competitions of academic or technical subjects;

6.     Students with outstanding performances in skill-based competitions;

7.     Students with outstanding performances in sports;

8.     Veterans;

9.     Overseas Chinese students;

10.     Mongolian and Tibetan students;

11.     Foreign students;

12.     Students certified and placed via special cases due to humanitarian concerns, international support, or other special channels;

For students listed in Subparagraph 1 and Subparagraph 2 of the previous Paragraph, regulation for their entrance admission (affirmative action) shall be stipulated by the Special Education Act and the Indigenous Peoples’ Education Act.

Chapter VII Curriculum and Learning Assessment

Article 42 Senior high school students’ residence period in school is three years. Depending on classification, programs and disciplines of special nature, school may apply for increase or decrease of residence period; subject to certification by the central competent authority through submission from corresponding competent authorities.

               Students that have not completed required courses within the residence period may extend it by two years at most. Students with disabilities may extend it by four years at most, depending on their physical and mental conditions and learning needs.

               Students who are pregnant, in labor, or have to raise their children under three years old may extend the residence period by four years at most.

Article 43 The central competent authority shall stipulate senior high schools’ curricular guidelines and relevant regulations of their implementation to serve as a guide for schools’ planning and implementation of curriculum; schools may integrate social resources with the planning of curriculum to enrich teaching activities.

               The central competent authority shall establish a curriculum council to examine senior high schools’ curricular guidelines; regulations regarding the council’s organization and operation shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 44 The curriculum of skill-based senior high schools’ curriculum shall stress its general competency education, experiments, and practicum.

Operations regarding practicum mentioned in the previous Paragraph including its teaching goal, subjects, credit number, implementation method, practice venues, qualified teachers, and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

               Comprehensive senior high schools that incorporate practicum in their curriculum and regular senior high schools that incorporate practicum in their programs or disciplines of studies shall follow the previous Paragraph’s regulations.

Article 45 Senior high schools shall conduct assessment on students’ learning, and the assessment range shall cover academic performance and ethical performance.

Regulations regarding the assessment method, subjects, results, and other relevant matters in the previous Paragraph shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

               Senior high schools shall provide students with counseling for their adaptive development, based on their ability, inclination and interest; and may organize special groupings to provide skill-based courses such as sports, music, art, dancing, and drama to connect with the skill-based education in junior high school; the qualified professional teachers may be appointed by the principal among full-time teachers that are equipped with professional skills from other schools.

Article 46 Based on the curricular guidelines stipulated in Paragraph 1 of Article 43, a diploma shall be issued to a high school student after he/she has completed the required courses of study or has earned passing grades in credit scores, with no more than three major demerits in net after the final canceling out calculation of the ethical assessment.

Article 47 The central competent authority shall regulate affairs regarding reservation of enrolled senior high school students’ status, student transferring to other schools and other programs or disciplines, suspension of study, credit (course) waiving, retaking (repeating) of courses, student status adjustment matters related military service, oversea study or traveling, double registrations and other matters related to student status.

               Senior high schools’ adoption and identification principles for foreign degree holders, identification procedure and operational guidelines of other matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 48 Senior high school textbooks shall be compiled by the private parties in principle, and may be compiled by the central competent authority if necessary.

               Senior high school textbooks shall be examined by National Academy for Educational Research; regulations regarding applying for qualification for textbook examiner, application procedures, examination range, examination procedures, fee, issuing and termination of examiner’s license, printing specifications, editing of book, compilation and grant for materials of rare subjects, and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 49 Senior high school textbooks shall be publically selected by each school; regulations regarding the selection shall be stipulated by each school and implemented with the general meeting’s approval; relevant procurement matters shall be stipulated by the corresponding competent authorities.

Chapter VIII Rights and Obligations of Students

Article 50 Senior high schools shall accommodate changing needs of workplace through providing students with counseling for adaptive development depending on their ability, inclination, and interest; regulations regarding the counseling, items, procedure, implementation, and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 51 Senior high schools shall stipulate regulations on rewards and penalties for students; such regulations shall be implemented after the general meetings’ approval and reported to the corresponding competent authorities for record.

Article 52 Senior high school shall establish a Students’ Rewards and Penalties Committee to examine students’ rewards and penalties cases; regulations regarding the Committee’s organization, examination range, deadline, evaluation and examination approaches, enforcement based on the results, and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the corresponding competent authorities.

Article 53 A senior high schools shall guide students to organize self governing organizations through the election of all students, and it shall provide them with assistance when necessary to enhance students’ study effectiveness in school and self governing ability.

Article 54 A senior high school shall establish a Student Appeal Review Committee to examine grievance cases, i.e. students’ or student self governing organizations’ dissatisfaction toward the penalty that affects their rights and interests, or other measures and resolutions conducted by the school.

               Regulations regarding the previous Paragraph’s scope of appeal, deadline, organization of such Committee, evaluation and examination approaches, enforcement based on the results, and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the corresponding competent authorities.

Article 55 To protect students’ rights and interests, meetings held to formulate regulations and rules governing students’ academic performance, rewards and penalties, or graduation requirements, shall invite the elected student representatives to participate; the number of student representatives that may participate and the relevant selection mechanism shall be stipulated by each school’s school affairs meetings.

Article 56 Senior high school students may be enrolled tuition-free if they meet certain requirements. However, this will not be applicable to students without a R.O.C. nationality, to those who return after dropping out, and to students at private schools that meet the provision in Paragraph 1 of Article 36.

               The tuition waived in the previous Paragraph shall be compiled and included in the government budget. Public senior high school students shall be exempted from tuition in registration; private senior high school students shall be exempted from tuition in registration and schools shall compile its list of tuition waiving students and report to the competent authority to apply for appropriation of funds.

               Funds required for the tuition waiver in Paragraph 1 shall be allocated by the central competent authority with the exception of the following situations, under such cases funds shall be allocated by the corresponding competent authorities:

1.     The corresponding competent authorities already provided them before this Act is enacted.

2.     Other acts and regulations stipulate that the corresponding competent authorities shall provide them.

3.     Due to jurisdiction changes after this Act is enacted, the funds required for tuition-waiver has been transferred to the corresponding competent authorities.

With the exception of the tuition-free regulation in Paragraph 1, senior high schools may charge students necessary expenditures such as tuition, sundry fees, collecting fees, and processing fees; regulations regarding tuition-wavering requirements, subsidies, charging items and purpose, amount, exemption, refund, and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority jointly with the municipal or county (city) competent authorities.

Article 57 For disadvantaged senior high school students, the government shall provide them with other subsidies in addition to tuition wavering depending on such students’ practical needs in the public/private school and the government’s financial condition; regulations regarding the subsidy recipients, requirements, standards and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority jointly with the municipal or county (city) competent authorities.

Article 58 To assist students in their pursuit of study at senior high schools, the government shall issue student loan; the loan shall cover items such as sundry fees, practice fees, books fees, accommodation fees, living expenditures, student’s group insurance fees, oversea study fees, and tuitions for students who return after dropping out, etc; regulations governing loan requirements, credit line, items, rights and obligations as well as other matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 59 Senior high schools shall secure group insurance for students; regulations regarding the coverage, amount, term of payment, duration, standards of payment, rights and obligations, application and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Schools shall assist students with their insurance claims in an active manner.

Each competent authority shall cover public liability insurance for public and private senior high schools under its jurisdiction; the coverage, amount insured and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Such funding required by the previous Paragraph shall be included within the central competent authority’s annual budget.

Chapter IX Supplementary Provisions

Article 60 If public senior high schools are under one of the following circumstances, the competent authority shall penalize the involved personnel through administrative measures, and deduct school of its subsidy, or reduce its number of classes; schools are required to take corrective actions within a certain time; schools that fail to do so may be subject to consecutively fines until corrective actions have been taken. Such circumstances include:

1.     Conduct teaching that violates regulations stipulated by the central competent authority regarding students’ balanced learning in five aspects of education or adaptive development based on Article 50.

2.     The percentage of qualified teachers violates regulations stipulated by the central competent authority regarding senior high schools’ organization, establishment, and staffing standards based on Paragraph 1 of Article 24.

3.     Charge students fees that violate regulations stipulated by the corresponding competent authorities based on Paragraph 4 of Article 56.

Private senior high schools under any of the circumstances in the previous Paragraph shall be penalized based on the regulations of Article 55 in the Private School Act.

Article 61 Public senior high schools’ income collected through providing of venues, facilities, and equipment to others for use or to entrusted party for operation, as well as income that derived from incentive participation of private parties, shall not be subject to regulations of Article 7 in the National Property Act regarding income being turned in to the national treasury, and local public property management income being turned in to the national treasury.

               Public senior high schools providing their venues, facilities, and equipment to others for use shall prioritize the purpose of public welfare.

               For public senior high schools with official budget, income from the previous Paragraph and from conducting students’ academic counseling, retaking (repeating) courses, recruitment, special screening, practicum, experiments, implementation of continuing education, and donations and their related expenses shall be documented in an independent account and operated through delegate collection and payment. The balance may be deposited for the purpose of improving school infrastructure and teaching equipment, and shall not be restricted by Article 13 of the Budget Act

Regulations on income and expenses management in the previous Paragraph shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

For public senior high schools that provide budget for their affiliated units, each income and expense shall be included in the school fund based on cycling budgeting procedures of the Budget Act.

Article 62 Special education students’ educational needs at senior high schools shall be addressed according to special education related regulations.

Article 63 People with educational level equivalent to senior high school graduates may be issued certificates after passing the self-study educational level identification exam; regulations regarding the agency holding the exam, exam frequency and schedule every year, requirements of test-takers, subjects and range of the exam, score calculation standards, issuing, revocation and termination of the certificate, and other relevant matters shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 64 Senior high extension schools and evening division established before the enforcement of this Act shall transform into continuing education division according to the regulation of this Act since the enforcement date of this Act; the rights and interests of the employed faculty and stuff and enrolled students can still be addressed with the regulations prior to the enforcement of this Act.

               The procedure and deadline for the transformation of the senior high extension schools and evening divisions mentioned in the previous Paragraph shall be stipulated by the enforcement rules of this Act.

               For senior high extension divisions that have been established independently or as university or college affiliated units prior to the enforcement of this Act, such the enrollment, conversion, termination and other relevant matters of these divisions shall be conducted according to this Act’s regulations.

Article 65 Regulations of this Act shall be applicable to senior high schools that are established by the Ministry of National Defense to cultivate military elites; the applicable range shall be stipulated by the Ministry of National Defense jointly with the central competent authority.

Article 66 The enforcement rules for this Act shall be stipulated by the central competent authority.

Article 67 This Act shall be enacted on August 1st, 2014, except for Article 35 to Article 41, which have been enacted since September 1st, 2013.