• Impact on low-birth rate: 48 universities and colleges will freeze student recruitment, in total 10,650 places for the academic year 2015, as part of initiatives taken in response to a shortfall of 50,000 students by 2016. For the 2014 student intake including UG, PG and PhD, there are 420,000 places expected to be filled.

According to the Ministry of Education, headcounts released by reporting institutions can be ‘unfrozen’ as and when appropriate, on the basis of enrolments.

• Strategic alliance in tertiary education: a letter of intent signed off by three universities- National Taiwan University (NTU), National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), outlines their aims to share academic resources, open cross-campus registration for classes and develop teaching/research collaborations.

This is the third university alliance that has been formed in addition to the existing two led by other top universities, and it is the first time for NTU, ranked 1st in Taiwan, to partner with reputable local institutions nearby.

• 12-year compulsory education on its way: disputes over new enrolment measurements to enter senior high schools/senior vocational high schools continue to be a challenge to the society and the ministry of education, as a result of more exams and hassle that occurs when shortlisting schools. It is now under the minister of education’s supervision for an improvement that can cater to the majority of students’ needs rather than competition between elite students.

Expert commentary

While top universities are moving towards excellence, private ones are eyeing sustainable solutions that they can rely on to survive race of student recruitment. A cut on numbers will not be compensated without a recovery plan, which could mean more actions on differentiation, academic-industrial partnership or internationalisation in which UK institutions may play a role. UK institutions wishing to develop partnerships in Taiwan or identify levels of interest in certain programmes they offer, please contact Silvia Fan.