Taiwan’s failure to regulate its international schools has ill effects that impact its entire education system.
The News Lens
Date: 2018/09/04
By: Jasmine Su
Photo: Taiwan Presidential Office / Flickr
International schools in Taiwan are notorious for their educational quality – or lack of it. Students are often very unmotivated, and poorly designed English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, intended to provide extra training for students unfamiliar with English, usually do little more than maintain students’ existing level of English.
Teachers are often under-qualified as well. In the most extreme of cases, some teachers play “instructional videos” for the bulk of class time. Teachers show up 30 minutes late on a regular basis – or not at all.
These problems are especially common in Taiwan’s smaller international schools. Although poor education in international schools is not unique to Taiwan – many Asian countries face similar problems – Taiwan’s case is largely caused by the government’s educational deregulation.
Establishing the case: Why the Education Ministry should not deregulate
For many Taiwanese parents who send their children to international schools, these learning institutions offer an alternative to Taiwan’s educational system, which is based largely on rote learning and exam preparation. This helps explain why, in Taiwan, international schools are made up predominantly of Taiwanese students.
[FULL STORY]
