Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai is calling for public support regarding a draft act set for review next week that will give the Cabinet-level Ministry of Culture more flexibility in hiring professionals.
'Taiwan's system of talent recruitment is completely out of touch,' Lung told reporters ahead of the review of an employment draft act by the Examination Yuan scheduled for next Monday.
As an example, Lung pointed to current employment rules that prevent the Ministry from hiring one of Taiwan's most esteemed Bangzi opera performers, Wang Hai-ling (王海玲), to head the Ministry's Bangzi Opera Company because Wang does not have a higher education degree.
Passing the employment draft act would allow fields such as culture, science and technology to employ the best person for each position, rather than having to choose from among people already in the civil service.
The act would also allow professionals hired directly by government agencies to enjoy the same benefits as civil servants, which Lung said would help convince qualified workers, like university professors, to take up public sector jobs.
Lung said that she had visited Examination Yuan President Kuan Chung earlier in the day to push for the act's passage.
The draft act was first proposed in September of 2012 by the Ministry of Civil Service under the Examination Yuan.