TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Education (MOE) on Thursday (Sept. 2) announced the list of schools selected for subsidies under the “Bilingualized Learning Plan for University Students” (大專校院學生雙語化學習計畫).
According to CNA, the MOE originally planned to select just two key schools and 15 colleges for the first phase of the plan; however, as the MOE received more submissions than expected, it exceeded the budget and selected four schools and 41 colleges. The key schools are National Sun Yat-sen University, National Cheng Kung University, National Taiwan University (NTU), and National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU).
The MOE approved a budget of NT$587 million (US$21.21 million) in subsidies for 2021. The plan is divided into a “Key Nurturing Plan," which distinguishes between universities and colleges, and “Universalizing and Enhancing Plan," and will go through two five-year phases between 2021 and 2030.
The objective of the plan is to reinforce students’ English abilities and promote “English as a Medium of Instruction” (EMI). This includes developing a system to support EMI instructors, introducing international instructors with EMI experience, and creating a submersion English-learning environment.
Schools selected for subsidization will undergo assessments after two years to ensure progress. In an interview, NTU told CNA that it plans to establish an office dedicated to EMI and encourage increased English communications across departments.
As 75% of NTU’s faculty obtained degrees from a European or American university, and 95% have the ability to teach in English, NTU is confident that it can promote EMI effectively. On the other hand, NTNU has been working with British Council Taiwan to offer EMI instructor training courses since 2017, reported CNA.
The school plans to create a “Bilingual Education Office” to coordinate the planning of EMI lessons. It also intends to establish an “English Academic Skill Center” to aid students with academic writing and research morality skills.
