By Ji Da-Ren, Hsinchu
On the 30th, NTHU joined hands with 10 high schools in Hsinchu to launch the “Hsinchu Studies” Inquiry and Practice Program. Covering six major themes — Qiancheng Studies, Hsinchu Science Park Studies, Watershed Studies, Hakka Village Studies, Indigenous Studies, and Migration Studies — the program takes students into local communities and environments, cultivating interdisciplinary inquiry skills and action-oriented learning. Participating schools include Liu Chia High School, Jhubei Senior High, HSP Experimental High School, Xiangshan Senior High, Jhenggong Senior High, Hukou Senior High, Hsinchu Girls’ Senior High, NYCU Affiliated Senior High, Shu Guang Girls’ Senior High, and Guanxi Senior High.
Yi Hsiu-Chih, Senior Specialist at the Ministry of Education’s K-12 Education Administration, remarked that the program embodies the spirit of Taiwan’s 12-Year Basic Education curriculum. High school is a critical stage for developing interdisciplinary thinking and self-discovery. By leveraging university resources, students and teachers can deepen their engagement with local issues, broaden perspectives, and bridge urban–rural gaps. The Ministry affirmed NTHU’s collaboration with high schools and enterprises, hoping the model can serve as a benchmark for educational innovation and sustainable talent cultivation nationwide.
NTHU Vice President Ping-Chiang Lü expressed gratitude for the Ministry’s support, which enabled NTHU to partner with 10 high schools and regional enterprises to pioneer a new cross-school, cross-disciplinary model in Taiwan’s education. He emphasized that NTHU aims to build a regional sustainability development platform, linking together six pillars: local governments, community teams, science park enterprises, school education, and academic research.
“‘Hsinchu Studies’ is not just a curriculum,” Lü stressed, “but a key initiative for NTHU to root university social responsibility (USR) and sustainability values in younger generations. Through such collaboration, we hope to lay the foundation for sustainable development across Hsinchu’s urban and rural areas, and set a new paradigm in education.”
Project director and NTHU Center for Sustainability and Resilience (CSR) Deputy Executive Director, Prof. Tian-Chien Lee, noted that Hsinchu’s rapid industrial transformation has widened urban–rural disparities. “We want students to go beyond textbooks — to understand their hometown’s history and present challenges, and to build analytical and action-oriented skills from inquiry to practice.” The program is expected to cultivate 60 high school students, preparing them to become future drivers of sustainability.
Facing the disruptions of the AI era, humanities and social science tracks in many Hsinchu high schools have been shrinking in recent years. Lee emphasized that such challenges cannot be addressed by a single school alone. Programs like “Hsinchu Studies,” with cross-school cooperation, provide students greater opportunities to explore humanities and social sciences, with the hope of eventually extending the model to junior high and elementary schools.
The program adopts a “learning by doing” model. It will begin in November with six themed camps to help students explore interests, followed by formal course enrollment in December. Selected students will take part from the second semester of Grade 10 through Grade 11, spanning three semesters. Working in groups of three, they will conduct research projects, present findings each semester, and gradually transform knowledge into action. The curriculum highlights a century of Hsinchu’s industrial and cultural transitions — from its late-Qing tea and camphor trade as a “world factory,” to today’s global semiconductor hub — giving students both historical context and insight into contemporary challenges.