Taiwan's 'Long-Established School' to Close! Ministry Confirms: School Assets to Be Donated to National University, Over 60 Years After Founding, Admissions Halted

Declining birthrates are impacting the operations of private schools. Tainan Private Yangming Senior Industrial and Commercial Vocational School, founded over 60 years ago, is planning a major transformation. The school and the Ministry of Education have confirmed that Yangming Industrial will stop enrolling new students starting from the 115th academic year. After all 100 currently enrolled students graduate and the school corporation completes dissolution and asset liquidation, the remaining school assets will be fully donated to National Tainan University of Arts, located in the same Guantian District. If the process proceeds smoothly, this will become the first case in Taiwan of a high school’s assets being donated to a national university.

Yangming Industrial to cease admissions from 115th academic year; surplus assets to be donated to TNUA

According to a Central News Agency report, Yangming Industrial Principal Wu Jung-tang recently stated that due to declining student enrollment caused by the declining birthrate, the school plans to stop admissions starting August 2026. The school currently offers Furniture Woodworking, Electrical and Plumbing Technology, and Data Processing programs, with 100 students and 20 full-time faculty and staff. During the transition period after ceasing admissions, the 100 current students will continue attending classes as normal and are guaranteed to graduate from the same school. The school also emphasized that it will fully protect the rights and interests of all 20 full-time faculty and staff.

What will happen to Yangming Industrial’s assets after liquidation?

Additionally, after all students have graduated, the school will proceed with the dissolution of the school corporation and asset liquidation, with surplus assets to be donated to National Tainan University of Arts.

Over 60 years of history comes to an end; Ministry confirms, TNUA plans to develop site into 'Second Campus'

According to Yangming Industrial’s official website, the school was founded in 1962 (Minguo Year 51) as Yangming Junior High School. In 1968 (Minguo Year 57), it began piloting vocational programs in response to the nine-year national education system, and officially restructured into Yangming Senior Industrial and Commercial Vocational School in 1971 (Minguo Year 60). In recent years, it has gained recognition for hosting immediate-result certification exams for Level B and C technical skill assessments and has received certification as a high-quality vocational school from the Ministry of Education.

The Ministry of Education confirmed that after all students graduate and the school corporation dissolves, the remaining assets of Yangming Industrial will be donated to National Tainan University of Arts.

Regarding this asset transfer plan, National Tainan University of Arts President Chiu Shang-chia stated that the university plans to seamlessly integrate the campus within two years, developing Yangming Industrial’s current campus into TNUA’s second campus. It will be used in the future to cultivate foundational artistic talent, realizing the transformation and continuation of local educational resources.