MOE Explains Minister Cheng Ying-yao's June 29th Visit to Changhua, Urges Against Politicization

(CNA Taipei, July 1st) Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao took leave from the Legislative Yuan on June 29th to visit Changhua County, drawing accusations from the KMT of "taking leave to campaign." The Ministry of Education (MOE) today explained the itinerary for that day and emphasized that local educational needs are not subject to differential treatment based on political parties and should not be viewed through a political lens.

Cheng Ying-yao had previously requested leave from the Education and Culture Committee of the Legislative Yuan, but attended a local event, sparking dissatisfaction from opposition parties. The Kuomintang (KMT) caucus in the Legislative Yuan stated today that Cheng Ying-yao should publicly explain himself to clarify whether he was involved in false leave-taking or violated administrative neutrality.

Cheng Ying-yao, attending an event in Taichung City earlier today, told reporters during a media interview that the day (June 29th) was not a sick leave but a pre-scheduled official duty to inspect facilities at primary and secondary schools in Changhua County.

In a press release this evening, the MOE added that it had informed the convener's office of the Legislative Yuan's Education and Culture Committee in advance, stating that the leave was not due to health reasons, nor was there any false leave-taking or misleading of the legislature. The KMT caucus deliberately and incorrectly linked Cheng Ying-yao's health condition mentioned in the Legislative Yuan on June 18th to the educational visit in Changhua on June 29th.

The MOE stressed that matters occurring on different dates and in different contexts should not be deliberately spliced together to distort a scheduled educational public service trip into "taking sick leave to campaign." Cheng Ying-yao's visit to Changhua on June 29th was not an election activity but an official visit arranged to address local educational needs, handle major campus incidents, and discuss youth development issues.

The MOE pointed out that on that day, Cheng Ying-yao first gained a firsthand understanding of the handling of the recent socially concerning campus sexual harassment incident at National Changhua University of Education. He then visited schools including Hunan Elementary School, Puyan Elementary School, Changhua Senior High School, and Datong Elementary School to inspect specific campus needs such as roof waterproofing and heat insulation, audiovisual classroom renovation, library air conditioning improvement, and the construction of multi-functional learning activity spaces.

In the afternoon, Cheng Ying-yao visited Lukang Children's Cultural Business Co., Ltd. to learn about young people returning to their hometowns in Lukang, local revitalization efforts, and youth support systems, and to interact with local youth teams.

The MOE stated that local governments and central representatives from constituencies, regardless of party affiliation, were invited to jointly pay attention to the official itinerary. For example, KMT legislator Hsieh Yi-feng participated in the Changhua visit.

The MOE emphasized that all educational subsidies and resource investments are handled according to existing plans, review procedures, actual school needs, and local educational development situations. For subsidies involving local governments, the subsidy ratios are calculated according to regulations such as the financial capacity level of each county and city, and experts review the necessity of the funding. "There is no differential treatment based on county, city, or party affiliation, nor is there a subsidy only when the minister is present." (Editor: Li Shu-hua) 1150701

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