Modes of education

Source:Government Information Office, EY

• Date:2010/5/27

Overview of mainstream education

The citizens of the 21st-century Republic of China enjoy unprecedented access to quality education, and the literacy rate among people aged 15 and over stands at 97.8 percent.

Children receive nine years of compulsory education. Thereafter, Taiwan’s flexible system allows students to continue along an academic route or take vocational training, which does not preclude them from entering higher education later on.

Scholastic opportunities are extended to people of all ages, including senior citizens.

Meanwhile, Taiwan remains a top choice for foreign students of Mandarin Chinese, offering first-rate training programs in a culturally stimulating environment.

1) Mainstream Education

The National Taiwan University Library provides students with comfortable, uncluttered spaces conducive to study.

Mainstream Education

Preschool to Junior High School

Many parents want to give their children a head start in the Republic of China’s highly competitive education system. However, the majority of kindergartens and nurseries are privately owned and charge high tuition fees, which is often too heavy a burden for average-income families. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has, therefore, been encouraging elementary schools to set up public preschools. A total of 185,668 children attended 3,195 registered preschools in the school year of 2008-2009.

The National Education Act stipulates that all children must attend six years of elementary school and three years of junior high school between the ages of six and 15. Exceptions to this rule are children with special needs and children receiving alternative forms of education.

In 2001, the government promulgated a set of guidelines for grades one through nine to harmonize elementary and junior high school curricula. The guidelines aim to help students develop self-understanding, respect for others, self-expression, a capacity for lifelong learning, respect for the law and global perspectives. The unified curricula also designate seven major areas of learning: languages, health and physical education, social studies, arts and humanities, mathematics, natural and life sciences, as well as interdisciplinary activities.

Languages constitute 20 to 30 percent of the overall curricula, with the other six areas accounting for equal shares of the remainder. To help prepare students for life in an increasingly interconnected world, English is a compulsory subject from the third grade, and numerous elementary and junior high schools around Taiwan employ native English-speaking teachers. Besides English and the official lingua franca, Mandarin Chinese, students are required to study one additional language spoken natively in Taiwan (Holo, Hakka or an indigenous language from first through sixth grade, which then becomes optional in junior high school.

To proceed to senior high school, junior high school graduates are required to take the Basic Competence Test, which covers five subjects: Chinese, English, mathematics, natural science and social science. The Practical Technical Program is an alternative to senior high school.

The Culinary Department at Taipei Kai-Ping Vocational School trains chefs in Western and Chinese cuisine. Many students completing the program go on to develop distinguished careers in the F&B industry.

Secondary Education

Senior High School

The three-year senior high school program prepares students aged 15 to 18 for progression to higher education. Senior high school graduatesgenerally choose between two paths—attending a university or college, and entering a junior college or institute of technology.

Senior Vocational School

The goal of senior vocational schools is to equip students with skills that will be useful in particular professions. Schools generally specialize in a given field, such as business, agriculture or nursing. Some senior vocational school graduates seek employment or start their own businesses, while others go on to further education at institutes of technology, junior colleges, colleges and universities.

Comprehensive High Schools

Since 1996, several experimental high schools have combined vocational and academic programs, enabling students to select from a wide range of courses before deciding whether to continue on an academic or a vocational track. In addition to general subjects such as foreign languages, mathematics and social sciences, various technical courses are also provided.

Higher Education

In the ROC, higher education is provided by colleges, universities, graduate schools, junior colleges and institutes of technology. While junior colleges accept students directly from junior high schools onto five-year programs, to be admitted to all other higher education institutions, students must have graduated from a senior high school or senior vocational school. However, students who have completed junior college programs may take the relevant examinations to enter college or university as freshmen or second-year students.

Junior Colleges and Institutes of Technology

Junior colleges have a vocational focus and generally specialize in business and the applied sciences. In the past several years, many colleges have been upgraded to institutes of technology, although some still offer junior college programs.

Universities, Independent Colleges and Graduate Schools

There are a total of 102 universities and 45 colleges. The bulk of programs at these institutions last four years, although those for training teachers and architects require five. Law and medical programs, meanwhile, take between five and seven years. Master’s programs last from one year to four years, and doctoral programs from two to seven.

2) Alternative Education

• Source:Government Information Office, EY
• Date:2010/5/27

Special Education

This category includes programs for individuals with special needs due to handicaps or learning disabilities, as well as programs for gifted and talented children. Gifted stud

ents are classified as having superior abilities in mathematics or the sciences, whereas talented students are those who excel in fine art, the performing arts or sport.

In accord with trends in other developed nations toward inclusive education, a number of mainstream schools offer classes to students of special talents or challenges, providing facilities to meet their needs from elementary through secondary school. Most disabled and gifted students attend ordinary classes with other students before returning to resource rooms for specialized counseling and training. Talented students, however, generally attend special classes, in which they receive focused instruction to cultivate their talents.

Special schools for blind, deaf and physically or mentally challenged students are run parallel to the mainstream education system. Largely government-funded, they offer classes from preschool through senior vocational school levels. In school year 2008-2009, 6,587 students attended such schools.

Social Education

The MOE supports a number of supplementary and continuing education programs. It also funds a range of institutions and events of educational value, such as exhibitions, cultural centers, museums, libraries, parks, zoos, orchestras and observatories.

The highest level of education in the public supplementary system is that provided by Taiwan’s two open universities—the National Open University, and the Open University of Kaohsiung.

Senior Citizens Enjoy University Life

To help ensure people at every stage of life have access to the best education possible, i

n November 2008, the MOE launched a program offering senior citizens mini-courses on college and university campuses. The program avails itself of the quality learning environments and teaching staff that higher-education institutions provide.

Adult education research teams studied a similar program in the United States and designed courses that cater to the physical, mental and spiritual needs of the elderly. Students take classes in a broad array of areas, such as successful aging, geriatric psychology, art appreciation and marine studies. They are also given opportunities to partake in campus life and the activities of student societies, thus allowing them to interact with young people and experience the university atmosphere firsthand. Senior students live on campus for the duration of their courses, which last five days.

In addition to the above program, the MOE is collaborating with townships and county municipalities across the country to set up 368 centers that provide learning resources to senior citizens by 2010.

The Private Option

Private institutions are a major social phenomenon in Taiwan. Offering a vast choice of affordable courses, they form a cornerstone of learning for large swathes of the population. Parents and Taiwanese society as a whole lay much importance on academic success, and a large majority of students at these private institutions enroll on courses that will help them prepare for senior high school and university entrance exams, professional and civil service exams, as well as tests required for overseas study. Considered useful in enhancing job prospects, English and computer classes remain particularly popular.

Many people, however, also attend private institutions to foster skills and hobbies and to enrich their lives, taking practical classes in such diverse fields as Taiwanese opera, martial arts, the tango, flower arrangement, car repair and calculation on the abacus.

International Schools

Currently, there are 19 international schools in Taiwan, most of them offering a

curriculum covering primary and secondary education.

http://www.taiwan.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=27645&ctNode=1911&mp=1001

3) International Exchanges

Foreign Students in Taiwan

Large numbers of foreign students learning Mandarin choose courses in Taiwan because of the high quality of its teachers and training facilities.

The ROC has a long history of excellence in Mandarin training. In Taiwan, students can simultaneously experience traditional Chinese culture and enjoy the advantages of a modern, developed society.

A total of 30 Chinese-language centers are affiliated with universities and staffed by professionally trained.

TCSL (Teaching Chinese as a Second Language) teachers. In addition to language training, many institutions offer cultural classes, for example, in calligraphy, seal carving, tai chi, and traditional arts and music.

Students who pass the Test of Proficiency—Huayu (Mandarin) may enroll in degree programs.

In 2008, the total number of foreign students in Taiwan reached 19,496.

Scholarships

The MOE has set up the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship to support foreign students wishing to take Chinese-language courses.The MOE also subsidizes colleges and universities that offer Mandarin courses and grant scholarships to foreign students.

Further, in 2004, the Taiwan Scholarship Program was set up to encourage promising international students to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in Taiwan. Qualified students receive a monthly stipend of between NT$25,000 (US$761) and NT$30,000 (US$914). Upon graduation, they are entitled to apply for a work permit and be employed for up to one year, which can be extended.

Host Family Training Program

Building on Taiwan’s position as a provider of world-class Chinese-language courses, in December 2008, the MOE announced a nationwide program to expand the network of certified host families in Taiwan. Prospective host families will be screened, trained and—upon certification—matched with foreign students. An estimated 1,000 families will receive training each year.

The program was developed in collaboration with a number of Rotary clubs and educational institutions. It is expected to significantly improve foreign students’ learning experiences and provide them with welcoming homes and direct insights into the Taiwanese way of life. It will also lower foreign students’ cost of living, while offering local families a taste of other cultures. The MOE has set up a page on its Web site for families to apply for training workshops.

Taiwanese Studying Abroad

A total of 37,800 Taiwanese students were granted visas for overseas study in 2008. The United States was the top choice, followed by United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Australia.

The government offers scholarships to local university graduates pursuing advanced studies abroad or taking part in exchange programs, and loans are also provided for overseas study.

Six of Taiwan’s leading universities have signed an agreement with Temple University in the United States, under which Taiwanese students can study for a graduate degree at Temple University after completing three years of study at their home institutions.

For more detailed information, click http://www.taiwan.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=27646&ctNode=1911&mp=1001.