Students paint a landscape with lines of near and far-off mountains. Others gaze carefully at a still life, draw an outline, and complete a pencil sketch.

Taipei Municipal Jinhua Junior High student
Lots of people especially want to take the art exam. It leads to lots of opportunities.

Taipei Municipal Jinhua Junior High student
Lots of careers are related to the drawing we’re doing now. They all need a foundation in drawing. So as an adult there are lots of places you can use that skill.

Applications for the art course are rising. Some students come because of their passion, others with a view to the future career benefits. In 2018, 4,293 students were enrolled in elementary and junior high art courses. Now it’s risen to 4,527. Taipei’s Jinhua Junior High has a long history of excellence in fine art, and its classes are full every year.

Chuang Cheng-lung
Taipei Municipal Jinhua Junior High principal
I think what students study in our fine art course can be applied in many industries. The styles that have applications may be more numerous than for other art forms.

In contrast to fine art, dance and music are losing students.

In 2020, music courses had space for 5,311 students – but only 3,628 places were taken up. There were 2,015 spaces for dance students – but only 1,201 were filled, an enrollment rate of less than 70%.

Now the Ministry of Education says that in 2021, the maximum places a school can offer on arts courses will fall. A thorough overhaul of the system will be drawn up by the Arts Education Advocacy Association, part of the MOE. But fine arts will be considered separately, with details yet to be confirmed.
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