Losses continue at private colleges with low enrolments

Forty-four private colleges and universities across Taiwan incurred a combined loss of NT$2.97 billion (US$98.2 million) in the 2020-21 academic year, due to low enrolment numbers caused by a declining birth rate, the Ministry of Education said in a report, write Wu Po-hsuan, Rachel Lin and William Hetherington for the Taipei Times.

It was the fifth consecutive year of loss for many of the schools. In 2016, 24 institutions reported a combined loss of NT$1.05 billion. The number of loss-making schools rose to 35 in 2017, before sliding to 32 in 2018. The figure bounced back to 40 in 2019.

The ministry urged private colleges and universities to reduce the scope of their operations and focus on sustainability. Boards of directors at private schools also have a responsibility to raise funds, it said.
Full report on the Taipei Times site