​Education in Taiwan

I am an exchange student and I major in journalism here for a semester. As I come to Taiwan for about one month, I observe that Taiwan is a modern, free, democratic society whose people are hardworking, fun-loving, educated and friendly. While eagerly embracing the future, the people of Taiwan hold onto traditional values and ideals. The family, including ancestors, is of utmost importance; education and scholarship are held in high esteem. Traditional forms of writing, architecture and art are part of everyday life. Yes, in Taiwan the ancient and modern, traditional and new are seamlessly woven together, creating a fascinating, dynamic society like no other in the world

First I want to talk about the basement of Taiwan’s education-----a rich and diverse culture.

As an immigrant society, Taiwan has long been a melting pot for residents coming from the Chinese mainland and Southeast Asia as well as aborigines. This has resulted in a great diversity in spoken language and diet.

Many international visitors who yearn to build a better understanding of Chinese culture have continued to regard Taiwan as their foremost choice to the present day. The rationale is simple. Whatever cultural heritage had been left on the Chinese mainland was ruthlessly disrupted during the Cultural Revolution. Hong Kong and Singapore, both former colonies of Western powers, have a cultural propensity leaning toward the West.

To the contrary, Taiwan is a repository of Chinese Culture. It is the only place where traditional Chinese is designated the official written language. And as an open society, Taiwan is a hearty host to all kinds of cultural activities. In the curriculum of general studies meant for college students, Chinese literature and history have remained compulsory courses to the very present day.

Second, I want to say the populism trend in Taiwan’s higher education.

This phenomenon’s result is a big jump in the quality of its labor force. With high-caliber talent readily available, Taiwan's job market hardly needs to worry about a scarcity of engineers or technicians. It becomes one of the world's few centers clustered with high-tech wizards.

However, the recent news that shocked Taiwan’s society is that the university admission rate has hit a record high of over 100%, which means any student can be admitted into one of the universities even if they get zero score during the examination. This may offer opportunities for students to go to college, but on the other hand, it may cut down the competitiveness among the students and eventually result in the low quality of college students.

Third, I want to compare the Taiwan’s teaching and learning styles including Chinese mainland to the American’s.

The value of engagement is extraordinarily emphasized in the American classroom. Generally, the student’s class participation has a great impact on their grades. “How much you participate in class represents how much you are engaged in this class”. American teaching style stresses the two-way interaction instead of one-way, giving and receiving; And American educators believe “Participation in the classroom can enable students to develop social skills, increase recall of information, improve presentation skills.

On the contrary, in Asian culture, the class is prone to one-way interaction. Taiwanese students are more comfortable with listening and taking excellent notes. Taiwan’s teachers are treated with respect and students are usually intimidated to ask questions during the class, since they will worry if they ask a stupid question in front of their peers. Most of the students prefer to ask questions during breaks or after classes.

Based on these issues, I think in class, class participation must be taken as an element of grading criteria. Educators must establish an open and friendly discussible environment that encourages students to debate, discuss and express their opinion freely. Abandon the traditional memorizing teaching methods. Developing the student’s capability to integrate knowledge and to think critically is far more essential than to give answers directly. College students must develop a broader worldview, cultivating inquisitiveness and concerns towards their surroundings and the world, discarding the convention of focusing on the trivial things happening in Taiwan.

In my first month in Taiwan, apart from travelling to different places, I like to spent much of my spare time in bookstores and libraries. Not just focused on books for my field of study, but publications banned in China.

The books told in great detail and changed the way I thought about China's historical figures and events - the more I read, the more I understood."

When China agreed in 2008 to begin allowing Chinese students to study in Taiwan - as part of an unprecedented warming of relations between the two former rivals - it looked forward to both sides' young people getting to know each other. And as one of them I will work hard to the best of my ability.