Ministry of Education launches a plan to reward high school students for entering agriculture, up to 30,000 yuan

(Taiwan TB News Network / Senior Reporter Liu Zhicheng) To accelerate the cultivation of outstanding agricultural talent, for the first time in the country the Ministry of Education and the Council of Agriculture jointly formulated the "Pilot Counseling Plan to Reward High School Farm Management Department Students for Entering Agriculture" (abbreviated as the High School Agriculture Reward Plan). With the strong support of the Council of Agriculture, students enrolled in the 106th academic year in senior high school Farm Management Departments with outstanding grades (top 50%) will receive an agricultural scholarship of 5,000 yuan per semester; those who complete 20 days of agricultural career exploration during winter and summer vacations will receive an additional reward of 10,000 yuan, and with a cumulative maximum of 40 days, 20,000 yuan in reward money will be issued, with a maximum of 30,000 yuan receivable per academic year.

The K-12 Education Administration stated that the purpose of promoting the "High School Agriculture Plan" is to encourage young students to understand and engage with agriculture early. After graduation, students may choose to continue their studies; if they are willing to apply for the "University Agriculture Publicly Funded Special Program" promoted by the Council of Agriculture, they can also receive bonus points, or continue with the "Youth Education and Employment Savings Account Program" to conduct employment exploration.

This year, the 11 schools offering Farm Management Departments under the first "High School Agriculture Reward Plan" are: National Taipei University of Technology Affiliated Agricultural Vocational High School, Miaoli Agricultural and Industrial Vocational High School, National Chung Hsing University Affiliated Agricultural Vocational High School, Xinshe High School, Yuanlin Agricultural and Industrial Vocational High School, Ren'ai Agricultural Vocational High School, Beigang Agricultural and Industrial Vocational High School, Qishan Agricultural and Industrial Vocational High School, Neipu Agricultural and Industrial Vocational High School, Jiadong Agricultural Vocational High School, and Hualien Agricultural Vocational High School.

The Ministry of Education also stated that if this year's pilot program achieves good results, it will work together with the Council of Agriculture in the future to expand implementation, hoping to guide more outstanding young students to devote themselves to the development of agriculture and become a vital new force in Taiwan's agriculture!