Falling birth rate leads to empty schools / 少子化+虎寶寶 全台小一新生驟減　　　　　　　　　　

A sharp decrease in the number of first graders in elementary schools this semester has been witnessed across Taiwan. and the reason is both because of low birth rates in general and the fact there are usually less babies born in the Year of Tiger. In Nantou County's Nangang Elementary School, there are simply no first graders in the school's opening ceremony. In Nantou County's Nangang Elementary School, there are no incoming students for this semester because the county government regulated that there should be at least 3 students in a class. The only first grader in its school district was transferred to another school. The child's parents worry about a long commute. ==PARENTS== Taking him to school or bringing him back home will cause a problem for us because we are busy during the seasons in farming. Low birth rate is the main cause of the phenomenon. In Nantou County, the number was even lower than usual due to fewer babies being born in 2010, the Year of Tiger. The six special municipalities all have the same situation and in Taoyuan City, 21 elementary schools started the semester with less than 10 students. ==FIRST GRADE STUDENT== (How many classmates do you have?) Four. (Do you think 4 classmates is enough for you?) No. (Then how many classmates do you want?) A lot. ==KAO YU-TZU, Dep Dir-GenTaoyuan City Govt Dept of Education== For example, I Cheng elementary school developed classes featuring indigenous culture, and now it features percussion band and violin band. Moreover, Pen Kang Elementary School became the only school featuring Hakka fishing village by promoting ocean education. Over the past 5 years, 33 public elementary schools have been reduced and merged. City and county governments both face the problem of striking a balance between students' rights to education and resource allocation. Some elementary schools in rural areas develop special classes to attract more students. TRANSLATED BY：ARIEL HSIEH 開學典禮就在禮堂舉行，不過，位在南投國姓的南港國小，今年出現一年級沒有新生的窘境，這和縣府教育處決定三人以下，不核定成班有關，學區裡僅有的一名新生，被併到鄰近的北山國小，家長擔心交通和受教權受到影響。 ==家長== 載出去或是載進去 都會造成家長 農忙時間上的問題(接送) 受到少子化影響，南投縣內國小一年級新生，每年大約減少100人，今年又碰上虎年寶寶入學，新生銳減190人，是往年的一倍。而同樣情形也發生在六都，桃園市國小新生就比去年，少了將近2000人，全市有21所學校學生數不到10人。 ==國小新生== （你們同學總共幾個人） （這樣幾個）4個人 （4個人夠不夠）不夠 （不夠啊 那你希望幾個人） 很多人 ==桃園市教育局副局長 高玉姿== 例如義盛國小 其實它 發展原住民的特色課程 現在已經成為打擊樂團 還有小提琴樂團的特色學校 還有笨港國小推展海洋教育 成為全國唯一 客家漁村特色的小學 根據教育部統計，近五學年度全國，有33所公立小學遭到裁併廢校，然而面臨少子化的衝擊，受教權和資源怎麼分配，都是難題，也有縣市設法補助各校提升教學環境，協助偏鄉小校發展特色課程，希望藉此吸引學生就讀。 記者 詹淑雲 林健生 桃園南投報導