Taipei, May 31 (CNA) A group of university students who were staging a protest in Taipei on Thursday against proposed tuition increases clashed with police in front of the Ministry of Education.
The students from universities across Taiwan were trying to force their way into the ministry when police intervened, which led to violent retaliation by some of the protesters.
Six or seven of the approximately 20 student protesters were restrained by police with plastic handcuffs.
The protest was held in response to a notice issued by the MOE in April, saying that universities across Taiwan may apply to raise their tuition fees by an average 2.07 percent for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Universities that have not increased tuition over the past year can apply for permission to raise their fees by a maximum 3.75 percent, the ministry said.
On Thursday, the application deadline date, an alliance against the commercialization of education gathered nearly 20 university students to protest outside the ministry against the proposed tuition hikes.
The alliance said that with the proposed hikes, private university tuition could rise by NT$3,600 (US$120) a year.
As of noon Thursday, some 11 universities had applied to raise their tuition fees, according to the MOE.
(By Kuan-lin Liu and Chen Chih-chung)
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