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Taiwan top official says English education ‘misinterpreted’

Deputy education minister argues that going bilingual does not equate to teaching classes in English

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An English teaching assistant in Taiwan. (Ministry of Education photo) 

An English teaching assistant in Taiwan. (Ministry of Education photo) 

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A senior education official lamented on Tuesday (Aug. 16) that Taiwan’s “go bilingual 2030” policy has been misconstrued and many local practices are missing the point.

Deputy Education Minister Tsai Ching-hua (蔡清華) said schools of all levels have been taking action in line with the objective of the program, but some measures are over the top. Examples include recruiting teachers that can conduct English classes for Chinese-related disciplines and setting an excessively high language skill bar for new hires.

He made the remark at an opening event for a nationwide meeting of high school principals in Kaohsiung. The bilingual initiative and internet access were the two main items on the agenda, per Liberty Times.

According to Tsai, the real focus of bilingual education, which is centered on English, is to improve citizens’ oral English ability. The policy is supposed to make people more confident and comfortable engaging in English conversations, he stressed.

Taking the policy to extremes could backfire and comes at the cost of the efficacy of students’ learning, a “lose-lose” situation, he cautioned.

National Taiwan Normal University’s (NTNU), the country’s cradle of top teaching talent, recently drew fire over the Department of Chinese’s job post seeking an assistant professor who can use English as a medium of instruction (EMI) for literature and philosophy courses. The university has defended the move as an effort to better adapt to a growing global interest in Sinology.