Parent group calls for stop to publication of student test scores

Taipei, March 6 (CNA) The Taiwan Parent Education Association (TPEA) on Wednesday urged high schools nationwide to refrain from publishing the scores of Taiwan's aptitude tests for high school and college admission, echoing calls from protesting students a day earlier.

Some high schools published the names of students who achieved a perfect score on the General Scholastic Ability Test (GSAT), which ended on Jan. 20, the TPEA said in a statement.

This practice causes students to feel stressed over their test scores and contradicts the Ministry of Education's (MOE) direction to not use test scores as the only metric for being admitted to or applying to universities, according to the statement.

High schools across the country should stop publishing students' test scores, and the media should stop reporting on this issue to allow more students to be vetted by universities based on their achievements in a range of areas, not just their test scores, according to the statement.

To promote diversity in school education from an early age, junior high schools should also ditch the practice of publishing students' Comprehensive Assessment Program scores, the statement said.

On Tuesday, a student group called EdYouth, along with student representatives from around the country, held a news conference in Taipei to call for an end to the practice, which they said promotes elitism.

They cited recent media reports about Kaohsiung Municipal Girls' Senior High School not having any students who achieved a perfect score on the GSAT this year.

Cheng Wen-yi (鄭文儀), the school's principal, who in providing an "explanation" to the media, said "girls are generally weaker in math than boys," which sparked controversy.

In response, Cheng later in the day said the school will not publish students' GSAT scores, as such a move "does not do much."

Meanwhile, the MOE said it would instruct schools to refrain from stereotyping when defining students' success.

Since 2022, Taiwan has instituted a "diversified channels for university entrance" program, which allows students to take skill tests on musical instruments, sports or the arts, and present the scores when applying to relevant departments at universities or for securing recommendations from high schools to their chosen undergraduate programs.

However, most students still need to present their GSAT score if they want to maximize their chance of being admitted to their chosen undergraduate programs, regardless of which channel they choose.