In light of the 12-year compulsory, the Ministry of Education has announced that there will schemes available for students to transfer between senior high schools and junior colleges.
The transfer, in principle, will be done through application, though students might be required to sit exams in some occasions as deemed appropriate by the hosting schools/colleges to ensure that students are accepted at appropriate level.
The current streaming mechanism asks students to decide their future direction at the age of 15. Upon graduation from junior high school, students can choose to attend comprehensive senior high school, vocational senior high school, or 5-year junior college based on their exam results, and it is not common for students to transfer after being enrolled. The new 12-year system guarantees places for all students after Year 9, and the Ministry argued that students who wish to alter their path at a later stage should be supported to do so.
According to the Ministry, the main focus of the new system will be on the enhanced quality of teaching at junior high school, strengthened facilitation to individual student, as well as improved institutional development of senior high and vocational senior high schools. The new 12-year education system will be introduced in academic year 2014, reported United Daily.