The Yilan County Teachers' Professional Union held a blue-green education policy forum. DPP county mayor candidate Lin Guozhang responded specifically to the questions raised by the education groups at the scene, focusing on four main axes. In addition to opposing the hasty merger of rural primary schools and promoting characteristic transformation, he also advocated "thinking first before using AI" to close the digital gap, integrate high school vocational resources and the general school road network, and support the public and private education system, and comprehensively elaborated on future education policy guidelines and countermeasures.
In response to questions about the survival and abolition of rural primary schools, Lin Guozhang stressed that education should not be measured by economic figures and opposed hasty mergers. He proposed a "primary school transformation support plan" that would allow the county government to take stock of local conditions and develop distinctive brands such as food, agriculture, oceans or indigenous peoples. At the same time, administrative reductions and cross-school regional alliances would be implemented to share teachers and equipment. He also advocated revitalizing the campus into a community learning center that combines care for the elderly and children and local creation.
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Facing the wave of artificial intelligence, Lin Guozhang pointed out that AI is a tool rather than an absolute. The key is to guide students to "think first, then use" and cultivate information interpretation skills. The virtual world cannot replace practice and interpersonal interaction. In addition to formulating campus AI ethics standards to help teachers grow, the county government will also fill the gap in tablets in rural elementary schools year by year, strengthen teacher training to guide critical thinking, and bridge the digital gap between urban and rural areas from the source.
Regarding the development of high school vocational schools, Lin Guozhang advocated breaking the central and local jurisdiction system and establishing a platform to integrate school resources at all levels. Faced with the brain drain, he proposed setting up local talent retention scholarships and matching corporate sponsorships. Regarding the crisis of the suspension of dedicated buses, he declared that "no matter how poor you are, you cannot let students be without a car." He promised to optimize the road network across bureaus to protect commuting rights, and emphasized to the groups present that "I will definitely do what I say!"
When it comes to public and private experimental education, Lin Guozhang used his own experience of his children attending Waldorf to demonstrate his familiarity with the system. He emphasized that education focuses on diversity, opposed excessive regulatory frameworks that impose strict demands on the innovative system, and supported diversified school-running models. However, he also reiterated that while providing flexibility, the county government will still fulfill its responsibility to manage core norms and strike a balance between opening up space and ensuring the quality of teaching.
At the forum, educational groups asked questions in sequence, and Lin Guozhang put forward pragmatic insights and response plans one by one. The two parties exchanged views on local education visions, showing their expectations for educational environment innovation. He also signed an education policy commitment letter on the spot. After the meeting, the participating teachers and representatives of various groups expressed their high affirmation of his policy explanation and enthusiastically came forward to pay tribute and take a group photo.
