Local undergraduate and graduate students would be allowed to apply for extension of their expected period of study for reasons related to parenting, according to a draft amendment to the University Act adopted by the Cabinet Thursday.
The reasons would include pregnancy, childbirth and the care of children under three years old, stated the draft, which is pending final approval by the Legislative Yuan.
Ho Cho-fei, head of the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education (MOE) , explained that the bill is intended to protect the rights of students, who very often are forced to give up their studies because of the demands of parenting.
Although the MOE in 2005 directed domestic universities to allow maternity leave for pregnant students and to deduct the period of absence from their expected duration of study, some universities have not done so.
Under these circumstances, pregnant students would have to ask for sick leave or private affairs leave instead, in which case they could face a dismissal if they are absent from more than one third of their classes in a semester.
