No more kindy teaching after 2005

It seems that kindergartens will not be able to have English instruction after 2005 if this article is correct:

taipeitimes.com/News/edit/ar … 2003066727

Now, I’m a betting man and wonder how long it will take before the chain schools have this decision reversed.

How is the the Buxiban association taking this? How will this affect the schools run by Durin’s Bane and the one started by Bassman? I would like to hear their input on this.

CYA
Okami

This is from Wednesday’s TT.

Don’t TT writers even bother to read their own paper? Or did the MOE do another flip-flop in the past two days?

I think I have my answer.

Would you allow such a sentence to go into print if you had half a brain or the even the slightest ability to write clearly and think clearly beyond the very low level necessay to make it into print in Taiwan?

Government first comes out with draconian policy, then waters it down until it represents no change whatsoever to the status quo, whilst appearing to:

(a) address the issue of Taiwan’s dreadful English;

(b) placate the xenophobes (who are desperately trying to have Mandarin Chinese ranked alongside English as a “foreign” language and therefore unworthy of study); and,

© keep the buxiban owners happy.

All sides claim victory.

Exactly how Trade Unions and the UK government used to negotiate in the 70s. Plus ca change.

Now can you see why I feel some want to replace Mandarin with Taiwanese ? And why I see no point in bothering to learn it anymore ? What is ‘mother tongue’ supposed to mean anyway ? Why isn’t Mandarin a ‘mother tongue’ ?

A few comments …

This type of back and forth policy shift that keeps happening just causes the entire administration to lack any kind of credibility … and it’s not just us foreigners who notice it. I think this is just another sign of the final gasps of air from a dying administration. If I had a nickel for every time the government or some legislator has proposed some crack-brained scheme that never comes to fruition and only serves to piss more people off and further damage the reputation of the government, I’d be a very rich man today …

Secondly, if they did manage to prohibit English teaching in pre-schools, this would be a dangerous blow to Taiwan’s democracy … one of the most fundamental rights a person has, IMO, is a good education for their children. The government has no right to interfere in a parent’s decision to give their child a head-start in English education. If the government is so concerned that less-advantaged kids don’t have the same opportunities to pursue English as more wealthy kids, why don’t they start spending some more money to provide English education for them? This kind of policy doesn’t level the playing field, it just hurts the entire country. I have seen some very positive results from pre-school English education, and the government just wants to wipe this out with one fell swoop. Not to mention, they’re going to greatly decrease the number of foreigners living in Taiwan … but then again, maybe that’s what they really want. After all, us foreigners just aren’t as smart as Chinese people …

It’s hardly worth paying much attention to them. What are they going to do ? Make it a criminal offence to teach children English ? In Taiwan, if there is a demand for something, the Taiwanese will set up businesses to cater for that demand, regardless of what the law says. This is the very reason behind Taiwan’s economic success. The government doesn’t have any policies, and no-one is paying the blindest bit of attention.

The government isn’t against English education at kindy level. They just don’t want to have to pay for it. The government subsidises some kindy education programs.

If they did make it illegal to teach English at a pre-school level, it’d be a great day for foreigners because we’d just be able to charge that much more for private kindy teaching. There’s not a parent on the island who won’t try to force feed English to their kids because it’s required learning later on when the kids are facing a third grade English test score as a percentage of a total that determines what Uni. they can go to. The government knows this.

  1. It’s already ‘sort of’ illegal to teach in a kindy, does that stop anyone?

  2. That article linked two above was not a news article but an opinion piece as as they did not quote any sorces or bills passed it could be based simply on what one or two legistaors are saying or, perhaps, guesses.

Whatever happens Taiwanese parents will still have an unending hunger to give their kids English lessons. Whatever happens school owners will find a way around any stupid laws. Bring it on, I’m ready. Plan for any possible situation in Taiwan because some yoyo is bound to come up with a stupid law.

I talked with several Taiwanese bosses about this and they are all of the opinion that it’ll never happen.

Well, the yo yo’s have spoken and it is now illegal for foreigners to teach in Kindies again. It was legal for about 4 months and now it has flip flopped again

Maybe that means it is illegal for foreigners to get a working visa for a kindergarten. AFAIK, us JFRV ARC people are eligible for any job, without any conditions except for professional qualifications where required (lawyer, engineer, doctor), and with no need to apply for any kind of permit.

The regulations are reasonably clear that the MOE does not approve of English teaching at all and that goes double for foreign staff teaching English.

The yoyo’s never learn

more non-news BS. we taught kindergarten when it was illlegal. we are teaching kindergarten when it is legal. however they slice it and dice it we are gonna be teaching kindergarten in 2005 in taiwan. the taiwan people want it. the market is stout. all this hooey is just politicians annd pimps cutting up the pie.

Laws saying okay, laws saying not okay…it really doesn’t matter.

I hope I am right because we are slapping down quite a bit of dosh to build a new kindy. :cry:

It will matter when your competitors report that you are illegaly employing foreigners. The penalties are quite stiff now.

There are laws in Taiwan, and they especially apply to foreigners. Be careful and stay legal.

[quote=“Feiren”]It will matter when your competitors report that you are illegaly employing foreigners. The penalties are quite stiff now.

There are laws in Taiwan, and they especially apply to foreigners. Be careful and stay legal.[/quote]

Very good points.

I’m not sure how it is in other cities but Kindy owners here in Kaohsiung get along quite well. Lots of cooperation between owners…where do you think Blacklists come from :sunglasses: ?

[quote=“Feiren”]It will matter when your competitors report that you are illegaly employing foreigners. The penalties are quite stiff now.

There are laws in Taiwan, and they especially apply to foreigners. Be careful and stay legal.[/quote]

I don’t agree that this will be a problem for most kindy owers. It will be just like before. Most kindy owers are not going to report that you are illegally employing foreigners because they don’t want to be reported for doing the same. Word gets around among these people. Concerning policies that affect them collectively, they generally work with, not against each other. In the past, I’ve talked to a couple of owners and they both said the same thing about this. It is pretty much an unwritten but firm rule that they don’t report on each other. I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen, but it is quite seldom. I think most kindy operators are likely to work together to push for a policy that allows foreigners to teach kindy (more money for all of them) while at the same time subverting the present policy that bans it. The only thing that you can be certain of is that they will not stop teaching English or employing foreigners. No matter if they get busted or not, they will still make more money than if they suddenly stopped teaching English.

Yes but their employees might report you. This issue has been widely reported in the media and people are aware that foreigners can’t teach in kindies.

But in many instances, the cops call first and tell the kindy they will be doing a check and to make sure that “everything is in order”. :o