外籍生變學費提款機、廉價勞動力!高教外籍生政策已成人權黑洞?|記者會

施逸翔 台灣人權促進會秘書長發言稿

很遺憾繼中州科技大學因剝削烏干達外籍學生而遭到全面停止招生之後,范雲委員辦公室這裡又再次發現高雄的高苑科大疑似血汗剝削國際學生的情事。

在今年1月12日的記者會上,當時我就已經根據李育琴2018年寫的「柬國學生來台被迫簽借據 新南向仲介:學生聘僱成本比外勞低」的文章,裡面直指高苑科技大學與中州科大有一樣的問題,像是代辦公司對柬埔寨學生說的不用擔心「學費和生活費」,到台灣後完全不一樣,以及一開始說的20多個科系可選,但最後實際上只能進入觀光休閒國產專班,然後來到高苑科大後,沒有英文授課,也沒有獎學金,甚至還要繳莫名其妙的代辦費給台灣的管理顧問公司。​

根據李的文章,2018年時,高苑科大的情況是,「多數柬埔寨學生是由家中湊足了1000美元(相當於一個柬埔寨家庭2個半月的收入)代辦費給IIC(柬埔寨金邊的留學代辦學校IIC科技大學(IIC University of Technology),才能申請來台。申請成功後,他們又被叫回學校,要求與台灣的裕祥企業管理顧問公司簽下4.8萬元台幣的借據與切結書,並被告知待日後在台灣開始實習領薪時,需逐月償還借款。切結書中同時載明,「本人簽署此一文件,係在自由意志下行使權利,絕無受威脅強迫」以及「如有違反以上協定,願意放棄先訴抗辯權,並支付雙方後續所有訴訟費用」。」

沒想到在2022年的現在,高苑科大的菲律賓學生依然指出:學生有超時工作的情況、薪資單有不明的扣款,招生簡章與實際情況不符、以及招生過程有類似仲介的公司在進行人力的媒合,代辦費的利率也是26%超高利貸等等,這些情況如果屬實,都已經涉及ILO的強迫勞動指標:濫用弱勢處境、欺騙、抵債勞務、超時加班。

我們要嚴正地抗議教育部這種擠牙膏式的處理方式,在上次中州科大事件後,范雲委員要求教育部系統性地了解況狀,但得來的回應只有「規畫『華語先修制度』及『設置國際專修部』2項措施,確保境外生來台後具備一定語言能力」「將針對以非專班方式招收境外生的學校,加強教學品質查核,確認學生是否具備華語能力或全校教師全英文授課能力,以及早發覺學校教學及學生受教情形是否異常」等無關痛癢的措施,我們認為中州與高苑絕對不是兩個個案而已,再次呼籲教育部徹查與了解到底還有多少學校是血汗國際學生的未爆彈?

(圖片來源:立法委員 范雲 辦公室)

 菲律賓學生的證言

學生1 中文版:

大家好,我是高苑科技大學的學生,目前就讀機械與自動化工程系。我也是少數勇氣站出揭露學校、向Taiwan News和教育部求助的學生之一。

我來自菲律賓,我的家庭不是很富裕,因此,我一直都夢想著要努力讀書,來幫助我的父母,也希望能過更舒適的生活。

而出國讀書,也一直是我的夢想。而我也很幸運的,獲得來臺灣讀書的機會,這樣的機會在菲律賓並不多。

我會來到臺灣,首先是源自一則群組的訊息,告訴我有一個來臺灣讀書的機會。後來,有一個仲介公司JS Contractor來到我在菲律賓的學校。他們說,我們要付63,540 台幣才能申請入學,所以我之前透過7/11每個月付錢給這間公司。

來到臺灣後,我本來期待我的生活是好好當一個學生,可以讀書、找跟我主修相關的實習,有時間還可以打工。

但實際上卻不是如此。我在臺灣的生活,根本是災難和悲劇。我從來沒想過我在台灣的生活會是這樣。

學校要求我們從事難以負荷的體力活,我的身體備受折磨,根本無法專心在課業學習。我的背開始痛,經歷過長工時後,我的手甚至無法動彈。我們常常工作到超過半夜,而且有時沒有給付加班費。我們的薪資,只夠負擔我們的學費,以及當初仲介公司要求我們支付的費用。有時候扣掉這些花費,根本沒有剩餘的金額。有時我會買一碗六十元炒飯,並且分兩餐吃。

從高中開始,我一直都保持在第一名。我很喜歡讀書,但是來到台灣反而讓我無法繼續喜愛讀書。有時候我因睡眠嚴重不足,導致身體太過疼痛、心情太過憂鬱,而無法去上學。我甚至無法好好念書,因為我實在太累了,我們沒有足夠的時間唸書。

就我所知,很多學生每天都工作超過12小時,有些人在工廠工作到半夜。而這些狀況,學校全都知情。但是學校教我們,如果政府來檢查的話,我們要說謊。學校跟工廠甚至製作的假的薪資單,避免被發現真實情況。

我真的很想要親自來參加記者會,告訴大家事實的真相。但同時,我也很害怕,如果我真的出席了,高苑科大會因此不讓我畢業。然而,我認為讓臺灣的民眾知道我們的處境,還是非常重要的,因此我決定以影片的形式,告訴大家真相。

我衷心希望,教育部跟勞動部可以一起保護我們,提供像我們一樣的外籍生:有品質的教育、合理的勞動條件,讓我們能夠真正專注在學習,我們只是想跟臺灣一般的學生,過一樣的生活。

 

學生1 英文版:
Hello everyone, I’m a student from Kao Yuan University, and I’m one of the very few students that has the courage to report my school and to ask help from Taiwan News and the Ministry of Education. I’m currently studying Mechanical and Automation Engineering.

My family in the Philippines aren’t rich so I always dream high and study hard to help my parents and to have a comfortable life. My dream is to study abroad and I was one of the lucky ones from the Philippines who got accepted to study in Taiwan. It started when there’s a group message telling me there's a chance to study in Taiwan. There’s a broker who came to our school, the name of the broker is JS contractor. They told us that we need to pay 63,540 Taiwan dollars in order to join the program, so I paid monthly to them through 7/11.

When I came to Taiwan I expected my life as a student who would study, do internships that’s related to my study, and do part-time jobs on the side, but it didn’t turn out to be like that. My whole life in Taiwan has been in chaos and misery. I never knew that my life in Taiwan would be like this. Due to the hard labor work that the school arranged us to do, I can’t focus on studying because my body is tortured. I have back pain and I also couldn’t move my hands well because of the hard labor and long working hours. We often work past midnight and there’s no overtime pay sometimes. We were paid just enough to afford our tuition fee and the broker's fee. Sometimes there’s nothing left for us. Sometimes I would just buy a big fried rice that’s worth 60 NTD and I would cut it in half.

I have been a consistent top 1 achiever since high school. I love studying, but coming to Taiwan doesn’t let me love studying. Sometimes I couldn’t go to school since I have body pain and depression from not getting enough sleep. I can’t even study because I’m so tired, we don’t have enough time to study.

I know many students here work 12 hours everyday. Some work until midnight in factories. The school knows about this, but they instructed us to lie if the government ever comes to check. The school and the factory even made fake salary slips of the student workers together to avoid being found out.I wanted to come to the press conference in person, but I’m really scared that Kao Yuan would not let me graduate if I do so. However, I still think it is very important for the Taiwanese public to know about our situation, so I’ve decided to do this video recording instead.

I hope the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labor can work together to protect us, and to provide foreign students like us good quality education and reasonable working conditions, so we can really focus on learning and we can experience normal student life in Taiwan.

 

學生2 中文版:

我是來自高苑科大的學生。我們來台灣之後,我們做的工作與所學(機械與自動化系)一點關係都沒有。我們有些人做包裝、碾磨、和機器操作。這些絕對不是實習應該做的工作,反而都是體力粗活。有時我們需要搬取非常重的設備和物件,我的身體健康也因為之前這些工作惡化。

這些工作難度很高而且很折磨人。我們一週工作超過40個小時,這在台灣是違法的,但我們別無選擇,否則根本付不起學費。

這個學程是個笑話。我們來台灣是為了學習並且獲得學位,但看起來我們像是被壓榨的奶牛。學校只在乎我們的錢。請幫幫我們。

 

 

學生2 英文版:

Hello, I’m one of the students from Kao Yuan University. When we came here, our work is literally not related to our major, which is Mechanical and Automation Engineering. Some of us working in packaging, grinding, and machine operation. And it’s not intern students’ work, it’s literally hard labor work. Sometimes we carry heavy equipments and heavy objects, my health got deteriorated because of the jobs I had before.

It’s really hard and abusive for sure. We work more than 40 hours per week, it’s illegal here in Taiwan but we don’t have any choice because we need the money to pay for the university tuition

.This program is a big joke. We came here to study and have a degree. It seems like we’re cows milking by them. They just care about our money. Please help us.