Education minister vows to open university for older adults in 2025

Taipei, Nov. 14 (CNA) Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) promised Thursday to start a trial run of a school for people in their third chapter of life in 2025 to encourage middle-aged and older people to return to university.

According to the Ministry of Education, the trial run planning for the "third chapter of life university" is expected to be completed by the end of this year and the ministry is set to make public the plan in 2025.

Cheng was responding to Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmaker Wu Chun-cheng (吳春城) during a legislative session.

Wu said the median age in Taiwan was 19.3 years in the 1970s. It is estimated that by the 2040s, it will reach 52.4 years old. However, most universities now still accept 18-year-old students, which means the admission strategic planning has not changed since the 1970s.

Noting that while the "strong generation" -- referring to those aged 45, 55, and 60 years old and above, according to different definitions -- controls as much as two-thirds of Taiwan's wealth, most of them regret not going to college.

Wu said the education ministry should make use of the rich resources of universities, through various methods to encourage the strong generation to return to school.

"Not let retirees enter nursing homes but universities," Wu added.

Wu indicated that he had collected opinions from all sectors of society through pubic hearings and compiled information about special classes for bachelor's degree programs and special classes for multi-specialty degree programs, and many schools have expressed willingness to promote them.

The Ministry of Education has responded to Wu that in the short term, it will entrust a professional team to develop core curriculum modules.

In the medium term, it will first find some schools to pilot a "third chapter of life university" program and in the long term, it plans to allow the university to offer degrees, the ministry said.