According to a survey conducted by TKU Office of Academic Affairs, a total number of 234 day school students dropped out of the school at the second semester of the 2008 Academic Year. The drop-out rate is 1.2%, a 0.26% raise in comparison with the number in the previous semester. However, comparing with the second semester in 2007 Academic Year, the number of this semester has lowered for 0.1%.

Two of the colleges that have the higher drop-out rate are the College of Science and the Colleges of Engineering, with the rate of 3.49% and 2.28% respectively. Meanwhile, the school has sent out a total of 3849 letters of warning to the parents whose children are facing possible drop out at the second semester of the 2008 Academic Year. Among those parents who received the letters, 42 of them phoned to school to express their support to the way of warning. The letter of warning of this semester will be sent starting from December 11.

Dean of Office of Academic Affairs Dr. Keh Huan-chao said that Tamkang University practices a drop-out system which stipulates that students who failed to pass fifty percent of his or her total credits in each semester for two times will be forced out of the school. The number is counted accumulatively; therefore, the dropout rate in the second semester of the school year is usually higher than that in the first semester. In addition, each professor would have his or her own way of giving points. Therefore, it is normal that the drop out rate will have slight difference each year, he said

In terms of departments, the highest dropout rate appears at the Infrastructure Section of the Department of Civil Engineering, which is 5.45%; the second highest is at the Mathematics Section in the Department of Mathematics, 5.43%. Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering Dr. Yang Zon-yee said that the graduates of the Infrastructure Section will be responsible for building houses, a serious task that matters to the safety of people. Therefore, Yang said his department sets very high evaluating system for its students. Students are required to build solid foundation in school work in order to be the person that can safeguard the safety of the nationals, he added.

Dr. Chen Kung-yu, Chair of the Department of Mathematics, said that many students thought they understand how to solve a math question when they learn how to do so from their instructor. However, when they actually solve the question by themselves, that is the time they finally realize they don’t really understand. “As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect,” Chen said.

Chou Lin-wei, a sophomore student in the Department of Math, said that he always try to ask questions during classes, which has helped him a lot in school work. One of the student parent, Chen You-fang, said that he was quite shocked when he first received the warning letter from school about his child is facing possible dropout. “But then I was happy to know how my child is doing at school and it is also a good way to prevent the worst from happening.”

Dr. Keh said that the letter of warning will be sent to student, student’s parents and his or her professors in the department. The teachers should then pay more attention on the student in question and the student him or herself should even pay more attention at school work and even ask for help if necessary. ( ~ Yeh Yun-kai )