EQUAL ACCESS: The amendment aids students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to attain university educations, waiving tuition and some other costsBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNA請繼續往下閱讀...The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed amendments to waive tuition for college students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.Under the amendments, economically disadvantaged students who attend university or college, are in the final two years of a five-year junior college program or are enrolled in a two-year junior college program would be exempt from tuition fees following an assessment of their financial circumstances.The government would assess whether the student’s household income falls in the bottom 20 percent of the nation’s five income quintiles and other financial information to grant the exemption, the amendments state.The amendments would allow students to claim computer and Internet fees as a student loan expense and require the government to provide “repayment assistance.”The amendments concern Article 58 of the Senior High School Education Act （高級中等教育法）, Article 35 of the University Act （大學法） and Article 44 of the Junior College Act （專科學校法）.The Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee reviewed the draft amendments on June 11.Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） legislators pushed to fully waive interest on student loans using budget allocations from the Ministry of Education and extend repayment grace periods, while Democratic Progressive Party legislators supported a more flexible system rather than legal amendments.The amendments would not apply to those who do not hold Taiwanese nationality and household registration.The financial assistance would be funded through subsidies allocated by the agencies overseeing higher education institutions, while universities would submit lists of eligible students to request funding, the amendments state.The ministry would be required to formulate regulations for the amendments that govern eligibility, subsidy amounts, rights and obligations, they state.The legislature passed two accompanying resolutions, calling on the ministry to continue reviewing whether the next academic year’s budget could fully subsidize student loan interest and for the government to provide financial assistance to economically disadvantaged students and those who suddenly face economic difficulties.新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
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