Representatives for kindergartens told lawmakers yesterday they should be allowed to legally hire foreign nationals as English-language teachers.
According to Lin Yi-te (林義德), president of Sesame cram school, the law prohibits kindergartens from hiring foreign teachers -- forcing some schools to play hide-and-seek with the authorities.
"To ensure a solid English-language foundation for our kindergarten youngsters, we hope the government will consider allowing foreign nationals to be English teachers" at kindergartens and nurseries, Lin said.
The cram school president said the prohibition forces many kindergartens to rely on "foreigners who are drifters or who are here in Taiwan as tourists."
Lin made the remarks yesterday during a public hearing held by KMT lawmaker Wang Yu-ting (
Liu Yi-chuan (
Wang said many private kindergartens and nurseries in advertisements say they offer a "bilingual learning environment" to attract parents who want their children to begin learning English as soon as possible.
Lin noted that the law allows cram schools to hire foreign nationals as English teachers, but kindergartens and nurseries are prohibited from doing so.
"The prohibition has forced many kindergartens and nurseries ... to hire foreign teachers illegally and play hide-and-seek with the government authorities," Lin said.
"Because of the rules, kindergartens and nurseries can't hire qualified foreign teachers."
Lin estimated that of roughly 6,000 private kindergartens and nurseries nationwide, nearly 80 percent illegally employ foreign teachers.
The educator said allowing foreigners to work at kindergartens wouldn't be taking jobs away from Taiwanese English teachers.
"Foreign English teachers, coupled with local English teachers, can enhance" the learning environment, Lin said.
Kuo said the Council of Labor Affairs was willing to look into the matter, though under the presumption that lifting the ban wouldn't hurt the domestic job market.
Though Liu said it was important to have qualified English teachers, he added that it was also necessary to consider the influence foreigners may have on young people due to "cultural differences," "different ways of thinking" and "personality." He didn't elaborate further.
Liu said the education ministry would consider changing the rules as a part of other reforms scheduled to be proposed by the end of the year.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taiwanese officials are courting podcasters and influencers aligned with US President Donald Trump as they grow more worried the US leader could undermine Taiwanese interests in talks with China, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has said Taiwan would likely be on the agenda when he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week in a bid to resolve persistent trade tensions. China has asked the White House to officially declare it “opposes” Taiwanese independence, Bloomberg reported last month, a concession that would mark a major diplomatic win for Beijing. President William Lai (賴清德) and his top officials
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
RSS