The island’s universities are often overlooked landmarks, home to captivating and historic displays that mix educational prestige and cultural depth. High-quality education tops the priority list for Taiwanese people. But despite the value placed on learning, the actual campuses where learning takes place attract comparatively little attention – non-students usually set foot on school grounds…
Wage Hike For Public Workers Approved The Executive Yuan in late October approved a nearly 4% wage hike for public workers, to take effect in 2022. The hike marks the biggest increase in government salary levels in over two decades, and will apply to civil servants, teachers, and military personnel. The salary adjustment comes as the…
As more countries, concerned about academic interference, begin to close down the China-facilitated Confucius Institutes on their university campuses, Taiwan is in a unique position to fill the gap by exporting its Chinese-language teaching expertise and drawing more students to the island for language study. At the end of 2020, then American Institute in Taiwan…
With the rise of conscious consumerism and investing, companies around the world are increasingly incorporating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria into their business operations. A company’s ESG performance is based on several indicators not related to financial performance, including carbon footprint and level of accountability. These metrics enable businesses to measure the sustainability and…
This school year, students in 85 selected Taiwanese elementary and junior high schools – an increase from 65 last year – are gaining exposure to English in courses aside from the usual language classes. In those schools, English is being used as a language of instruction in courses such as the arts, humanities, health, and…
The government is seeking to greatly increase the level of English fluency in the Taiwan population by 2030 through a variety of programs, mainly focusing on improving the effectiveness of English teaching in the schools. The goal is to raise Taiwan’s international competitiveness. But classroom learning will need to be supplemented through the creation of…
Though sweeping in its ambition, the Bilingual Nation plan seems to have largely overlooked one key area: culture. The Blueprint refers to “promoting bilingual services at cultural and educational venues,” but neglects the need to address cultural influences in a larger sense – factors that need to be taken into account in any attempt to…
An influx of families fleeing the pandemic has created a supply crunch at international schools. Taiwan has stood out as one of the few countries able to keep schools open during the coronavirus pandemic. Some families in the West with ties to Taiwan and the means to relocate have returned here because of the safer,…
E-learning startups cater to rising demand for online self-learning among individuals. These firms can support the public sector and businesses, too. Taiwan has controlled the coronavirus pandemic so well that its K-12 schools have been able to maintain classroom instruction. The only interruption to school came in February, when the government delayed the start of…
The pandemic has hit the bottom lines of struggling schools reliant on foreign students. Yet Taiwan’s ability to contain the coronavirus is also making it a more attractive place to study. Taiwan has long had a surplus of universities, the legacy of well-intentioned if myopic education reforms in the 1990s. The island nation is home…
