Reserve Officers' Training Corps () in the

Republic of China (Taiwan) Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

was first proposed by the

Ministry of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divide ...

for the ROC Armed Forces in September 1995 and has been in operation since 1997 or 1999. Other sources mention that an ROTC program was already active in Taiwan in the 1960s. ROTC in Taiwan is based on the counterpart program of the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

. The proposed training regimen consisted of three to four additional hours of military courses each week aside from university classes. During the winter vacation, students were to attend a one or two-week boot camp and in the summer, they would undergo six weeks of military training.

Benefits and obligation

The Ministry of National Defense provides three years of financial aid for the students' university studies, as well as

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

s. Graduates of the ROTC program are given the rank of second lieutenant; they then proceed with specialized military training. ROTC graduates are required to serve in the military for four years, after which they are free to rejoin civilian life. They may also elect to remain in the military as career officers.

Other developments

As of 2001, the Taiwan ROTC program was only available for college students aiming to join the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

. By 2009, the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

has reduced the number of ROTC courses at

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; zh, t=國立臺灣大學, poj=Kok-li̍p Tâi-oân Tāi-ha̍k, p=, s=) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in 1928 during Taiwan under J ...

, considering the program a symbol of

autocracy Autocracy is a form of government in which absolute power is held by the head of state and Head of government, government, known as an autocrat. It includes some forms of monarchy and all forms of dictatorship, while it is contrasted with demo ...

. Despite this, the ROTC program remains popular among Taiwanese college students.

References

{{Reflist Military education and training in Taiwan

Benefits and obligation

Other developments

See also

References