Taipei: Taiwan’s Ministry of Education (MOE) formally responded on Thursday to a petition that called for junior and senior high schools to start two hours later, saying the change would hinder learning.

According to Focus Taiwan, the proposal, submitted in September on the National Development Council’s public policy participation website and endorsed by more than 12,000 people, argued that a later start time could improve students’ sleep and learning efficiency.

In its written response, the MOE explained that delaying the start of the school day from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. would cut 10 periods per week, leaving students without enough time to learn the curriculum and develop basic competencies.

The MOE further highlighted that a survey of local governments conducted in 2023 found unanimous support for maintaining the current schedule, in which most junior and senior high school students begin classes around 8 a.m.