Taipei: The Taiwan Parent Education Association (TPEA) on Wednesday called on high schools nationwide to cease the publication of student scores from Taiwan’s aptitude tests for high school and college admissions, aligning with the demands of protesting students from the previous day.
According to Focus Taiwan, some high schools have released the names of students who attained perfect scores on the General Scholastic Ability Test (GSAT), which concluded on January 20, the TPEA revealed in a statement. This act, they argue, places undue stress on students and contradicts the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) directive that test scores should not be the sole criterion for university admission.
The TPEA insists that not only should high schools discontinue the publication of student test scores, but the media should also refrain from reporting on this matter. They believe this change would enable universities to evaluate students based on a broader range of achievements, rather than solely on test scores.
The statement further suggested that junior high schools should also abandon the practice of publishing students’ Comprehensive Assessment Program scores to foster diversity in education from a young age. This recommendation came on the heels of a news conference held by a student group, EdYouth, alongside student representatives from across the nation, who decried the practice for promoting elitism.
The students referred to recent media coverage of Kaohsiung Municipal Girls’ Senior High School, which reported that no students achieved a perfect score on the GSAT this year. The school’s principal, Cheng Wen-yi, stirred controversy by suggesting that “girls are generally weaker in math than boys” when explaining the outcome to the media. Subsequently, Cheng announced that the school would refrain from publishing students’ GSAT scores, acknowledging that such disclosures “do not do much.”
In reaction to the controversy, the MOE committed to guiding schools away from stereotyping when assessing students’ success. Since 2022, Taiwan has implemented a “diversified channels for university entrance” program, allowing students to leverage skills in music, sports, or the arts when applying to universities or seeking recommendations from high schools. Despite this initiative, most students still rely on their GSAT scores to optimize their chances of being accepted into their preferred undergraduate programs, regardless of the application channel they pursue.