Control Yuan: Unclear Authority Between Sports, Education Ministries on Sports Class Supervision and Normalization

(CNA, Taipei, 21st, Reporter Kao Hua-chien) The Control Yuan said today that regarding issues with the sports class system, the division of responsibilities between the Sports Department and the Ministry of Education is partially unclear. On key issues such as the overall supervision of sports classes, training hours, and educational normalization, both ministries consider it the other's responsibility. Issues such as the academic gap among sports class students and violations of training hours also await supervisory improvement. The Control Yuan's Committee on Education and Culture recently passed an investigation report proposed by Control Yuan members Lai Ting-ming, Puruṣa-hali, and Yeh Ta-hua. The three investigating members stated in a press release today that to implement the purpose of sports classes, the Ministry of Education amended and promulgated regulations such as the "Regulations for the Establishment of Sports Classes in Senior High Schools and Below" in 2021, hoping to strengthen the three-tier sports training system and implement educational normalization. The members pointed out that the division of responsibilities between the Sports Department and the Ministry of Education is partially unclear. On key issues such as "overall supervision of sports classes," "training hours and educational normalization of sports classes," and "indigenous student-athletes," both ministries claimed the issues fell under the other's jurisdiction during the information request process. They failed to respond proactively, citing reasons such as it not being their purview, being under the other's control, or needing coordination with local governments. There was no substantive conclusion on overall jurisdiction, let alone regarding the jurisdictional authority over municipalities, county/city governments, grassroots school sports classes, and their basic academic affairs. The members noted that the problem of the basic academic gap among sports class students must be addressed. According to the Ministry of Education's data from the 111th to 113th academic years' Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students, the proportion of sports class students scoring "To Be Strengthened (C)" in both English and mathematics exceeded 50%. Furthermore, in the 113th academic year, 35.85% of baseball-specializing students received "5C" (failing to reach the basic threshold in all five subjects), far higher than the overall student average of 6.62%. The members said the Ministry of Education has not taken this problem seriously, nor has it actively grasped the reality and difficulties of remedial teaching for sports class students, clearly failing to fulfill its supervisory duties. They added that the cultivation of national sports talent should not come at the cost of basic academic skills, and it is urgent for the Ministry of Education to evaluate horizontal mechanisms and jointly review academic cultivation and learning support mechanisms. The members pointed out that although most schools claim to have set academic standards for competition eligibility, according to the 2024 visit report on grassroots athlete training stations, in practice, academic tutoring is often limited to brief sessions during lunch breaks or after school. Delays in the allocation and verification of government subsidies also make it difficult to find or retain tutors on a regular basis, an issue that requires the Ministry of Education's joint resolution. The members emphasized that "normalization of sports training" is one of the core management goals for sports classes and teams. However, inspections by the Ministry of Education over the past three years showed that sports classes in three junior high schools were in violation.