Schools allowed to teach all in English.. for foreigners

Taiwan Parenting
1

As per title:

[quote]The Ministry of Education has approved a new policy to allow private elementary and high schools to open special classes teaching in English language for all courses. Private primary schools as well as junior high and senior high schools will be able to set up education programs in English under the new measure, which is expected to be formally announced before the end of this month.

Vice Education Minister Wu Tsai-shun said students attending such classes should have foreign nationalities or students of the Republic of China with dual citizenships.

English will be the language used in such classes, but schools can also include courses like Chinese literature, history and geography that will be taught in Chinese language.

Yet such Chinese-language courses will be limited to one third of the total courses, Wu said.

…
Some public schools funded by the government expressed interest in and the need to offer the same classes.

Liu Ho-jan, director of the Department of Education at the Taipei County Government, said some foreign engineers expressed the need to send their children to all-English schools or classes.

But there are only five private elementary and high schools in the sprawling county, making it difficult for foreign residents or employees to choose a convenient school outside Xindian, Zhonghe, Yunghe, and Bali areas.

…

The living environment and education for their children rank high among the major concerns of foreigners who are working in Taiwan or planning to come to work here, he added.

…

(Wu) stressed that the MOE will consider possible further relaxation of the regulations after completing a study on the results of the experimental English education to be offered by the private schools.

[/quote]
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2009/02/11/195520/Private-schools.htm

Interesting. Pity they still cannot/do not want to allow really bilingual schools. The new all-English will be restricted to foreign/dual nationality kids. Pity they are missing out on teh experience, and that they will not be able to integrate into the educational system here… if they wanted. I am sure a proper bilingual system open to all would be greately beneficial to local teachers and students alike. And with this program limited to private schools, profit will be the main constraint.

2

[quote=“Icon”]As per title:

[quote]The Ministry of Education has approved a new policy to allow private elementary and high schools to open special classes teaching in English language for all courses. Private primary schools as well as junior high and senior high schools will be able to set up education programs in English under the new measure, which is expected to be formally announced before the end of this month.

Vice Education Minister Wu Tsai-shun said students attending such classes should have foreign nationalities or students of the Republic of China with dual citizenships.

English will be the language used in such classes, but schools can also include courses like Chinese literature, history and geography that will be taught in Chinese language.

Yet such Chinese-language courses will be limited to one third of the total courses, Wu said.

…
Some public schools funded by the government expressed interest in and the need to offer the same classes.

Liu Ho-jan, director of the Department of Education at the Taipei County Government, said some foreign engineers expressed the need to send their children to all-English schools or classes.

But there are only five private elementary and high schools in the sprawling county, making it difficult for foreign residents or employees to choose a convenient school outside Xindian, Zhonghe, Yonghe, and Bali areas.

…

The living environment and education for their children rank high among the major concerns of foreigners who are working in Taiwan or planning to come to work here, he added.

…

(Wu) stressed that the MOE will consider possible further relaxation of the regulations after completing a study on the results of the experimental English education to be offered by the private schools.

[/quote]
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2009/02/11/195520/Private-schools.htm

Interesting. Pity they still cannot/do not want to allow really bilingual schools. The new all-English will be restricted to foreign/dual nationality kids. Pity they are missing out on teh experience, and that they will not be able to integrate into the educational system here… if they wanted. I am sure a proper bilingual system open to all would be greately beneficial to local teachers and students alike. And with this program limited to private schools, profit will be the main constraint.[/quote]

Progress is slow. Just keep your panties on. It’s slow but not stopped. Soon, you will see optional classes in Jr and Sr. High School. All taught in English. You will also see that TOEFL will be an optional class. Parents are tired of schools providing what they are used to providing, which is outdated crap. Parents, then have to pay extra for the adult bushibans before their kids can go to uni abroad. It’s changing. It’s just slow. Work with it.

3

That would be a real shame: children spending schooltime boosting the profits of a private foreign company and learning how to fake multiple choice tests instead of getting an education.

There are some places that are ‘bilingual’ in Taiwan but they’re shit. Taiwanese schools spend money on equipment, not on stuff like curriculum development. One place I saw were using American ESOL books to teach Taiwanese beginners. :laughing:

4

There is not one single true bilingual school in Taiwan. And yes, I can state this with authotrity, defining it from and educational and linguistic point of view.

The bushibans will stop teaching outdated stuff when teh exams change. As it is, MOE authorities have no interest in changing the system, in spite of its inequacy.

I’d rather have the students faking TOEFL than the options: buying the tests, having someone else take the test for them, or taking the run-down copies made here -you know which ones.

5

In my true, deep, and secret heart, I have a little dream of one day opening a true bilingual school. I can’t even immagine that in Taiwan. I usually have to set my fantasy in MLChina. But man! What a dream it is!

6

The endorphine high from this morning’s run and swim is insufficient to dispel my negative and cynical attitude here - by the time there is sufficient change in policy AND sufficient implementation of such policy change, the grandchildren my 3-year-old may or may not provide me with could still be young enough to benefit.

If you want bilingual education for your kids, organise it yourself or ship out.

7

[quote=“highwave”]
If you want bilingual education for your kids, organise it yourself or ship out.[/quote]

Well I brought this up somewhere before

TAS and the European School are expensive. Yes it is probably affordable by scarifying and saving a lot
Based on the number of people that visit these boards who have kids, I wonder is there a market here for a private school for kids that can compete with TAS and European school.

Of course there are costs (salaries, rent, insurance, curriculum), but fees at TAS and European school still seem inflated. Yes they probably provide a high quality service (with lots of accreditation).
But say you hit the middle road, where the fees are not such a turn off, while maintaining a consistent level of education

People work long and hard to pay for private schools (scarifying time with their kids) and end up outsourcing the education of their children to the school
But schools provide the tools and the abilities to be educated. Education comes more from exposure to life and from parents

8

How does covering ones body, or ones children’s bodies, with scars help their education? perhaps you meant sacrificing.

TAS and TES charge so much as they pay their overseas-hired teachers at American rates, not local teacher rates. Plus they offer lots of services that most schools here can’t.

and why restrict it to only dual nationality students? Hmm, well, lemme see: could it be that the KMT are very interested in maintaining a large gap between the elites (those with USA or other nationalities as dual citizens are Taiwanese (or should that be, ROC) citizens who tend to be richer than most, and often connected to old KMT money and influence) and the hoi polloi. Surely not, for that would be deeply unethical in a fair society…

9

yep

[quote=“urodacus”]
and why restrict it to only dual nationality students? Hmm, well, lemme see: could it be that the KMT are very interested in maintaining a large gap between the elites (those with USA or other nationalities as dual citizens are Taiwanese (or should that be, ROC) citizens who tend to be richer than most, and often connected to old KMT money and influence) and the hoi polloi. Surely not, for that would be deeply unethical in a fair society…[/quote]

I am sure that any government here is very interested in not giving the option, otherwise every public school in taiwan would be idle and empty
The existence of achinban (extra classes) is a reflection of most people’s acceptance of the failures of the education system here

10

I really don’t get the point of optimizing High School by having classes in a language, when the teacher probably learned the subject in a different language (Chinese) and where the teacher’s English ability may be questionable

They’ll be a disconnect and lose in translation

Maybe they will hire foreign math and physics teachers

11

[quote=“TNT”][ every public school in taiwan would be idle and empty
The existence of achinban (extra classes) is a reflection of most people’s acceptance of the failures of the education system here[/quote]

I don’t disagree with the second point you raise here (though I think there’s more to the bushiban phenomenon than that), but I fail to see the logic of the first one. If schools are all allowed to teach in both languages, and there is a demand for it, then all will do so. their main problem will be attracting the teachers qualified to do so. Also, not all classes will benefit from being taught in English: classical and modern Chinese classes, for example. Sciences, and certainly English, OTOH, are an obvious choice for classes that would benefit from being taught in the other language.

12

When will the authorities realize that children are absolute virtuosos when it comes to language acquisition, and can easily become native speakers in multiple languages through properly implemented bilingual education?

13

I’m sure the authorities see the benefits, it’s just incredibly difficult to do without being massive expensive. There are a lot of pitfalls and traps to fall into and although sometimes it works well, it’s not always good for children who aren’t in bilingual homes and can leave them disadvantaged.

Private schools are free to do this Taiwan already, no? They just can’t/don’t.

14

[quote=“urodacus”][quote=“TNT”][ every public school in taiwan would be idle and empty
[/quote]

I don’t disagree with the second point you raise here (though I think there’s more to the buxiban phenomenon than that), but I fail to see the logic of the first one. [/quote]
If they changed some schools to bilingual there would be an exodus to those schools from the normal schools. Then the normal school would be idle. (ok may not idle but numbers would drop… meaning budgets would be reduced for the school)

Would the level of education be better? Who knows, but the perception would be yes since courses are taught in English.

People can move their household registration to an area that has a reputable school, and this does happen.
To fill in the numbers in the normal schools left idle would be a problem. The bilingual would have more people applying and attending. People might think… what a great opportunity to save money on English classes

So the best way would be to move all the schools over to bi-lingual. Who knows this could be the plan

15

Well maybe but only if all the kids are speaking English in class, and its the language of the whole school environment, not just classes in it. Can’t see how you’d implement that here. It only works in multilingual places like Canada and Singapore I thought.

16

Private schools still follow Min. of Ed. policies like public schools. From what I have seen there is little difference between public and private schools in our area.

17

Well maybe but only if all the kids are speaking English in class, and its the language of the whole school environment, not just classes in it. Can’t see how you’d implement that here. It only works in multilingual places like Canada and Singapore I thought.[/quote]

Dunno about that. Our school taught certain subjects in Spanish, and others in English. We also had English lessons, but we mostly communicated in Spanish among ourselves unless the class that was being taught was one of the English ones, or we had a foreign teacher. While we have lots of immigrants, we are certainly not so multilingual as Singapore. We mostly manage decent Spanglish for tourists as a whole in public education, bilingual or nearly so in international -mostly affordable- and/or private schools in English, French, German, Japanese, etc. That is why I am so critical of the system here. If we had the resources they have here in Taiwan and invested as much time as this people do -unfortunately, with the wrong focus and methodology- I don’t know where we’d be, what we could achieve. I mean, even the French school is scratching by. I can’t believe the fuss they make about learning a “second” language, or even “mother” language -as they call Holo, Hakka, etc.- and yet do no content teaching. :eh: The mental barrier is just too much.

ps.
and no, we do not limit the acceptance to those schools only to foreigners, though they benefit a lot. Nevertheless, our ministry of education still regulates that they should teach some percentage about the local history and language.

18

There are already some elementary schools in Taiwan that offer bilingual education for students at a much cheaper price than TAS. I work in a Catholic elementary school that costs less than half TAS and offers 8 classes a week of English language arts, 3 classes a week of English math, plus English science, social studies and computer classes.

The school does have to follow the MOE schedule for classes and days off.

Unlike TAS however, the children of teachers at the school don’t study for free, or even get a discout. :frowning:

19

[quote=“Ktownboy”]There are already some elementary schools in Taiwan that offer bilingual education for students at a much cheaper price than TAS. I work in a Catholic elementary school that costs less than half TAS and offers 8 classes a week of English language arts, 3 classes a week of English math, plus English science, social studies and computer classes.

The school does have to follow the MOE schedule for classes and days off.

Unlike TAS however, the children of teachers at the school don’t study for free, or even get a discout. :frowning:[/quote]

Are you talking about the Dominican School in Dazhi?

A couple of posters have made reference to the ‘crap’ bilingual schools in Taiwan. Would these include Kuei Shan in Shipai, Li Ren on An He Road, Fuxing and another “famous” school in Xindian (I think it’s called Cambridge)? I think Li Ren and Fuxing only started their bilingual programs in the last couple of years and I’ve heard different things from friends who have (or have had) their children there.

My three younger children go to Kuei Shan and seem to be doing okay in both languages so far. #2 and #3 enjoy reading in both Chinese and English, #4 is just now starting to read. Their English writing could use some work and I think we’ll spend some time on that over summer and winter breaks. Child #2 is in the 6th grade and on the school soccer team and all the kids on the team sound bilingual to me.