The Ministry of Education said it plans to amend its White Paper on International Education for Primary and Secondary Schools to include an emphasis on fostering a sense of national consciousness.
The ministry first introduced its white paper in 2011, with plans to internationalize curricula over two successive five-year stages.
The white paper laid out four key goals for primary and secondary education: developing a strong national identity among Taiwanese youth; increasing awareness of cultural diversity and understanding of global issues; cultivating global competitiveness through foreign language ability and multicultural knowledge; and developing a sense of responsibility regarding conservation of natural resources and protection of human rights.
However, since the white paper’s implementation, many schools have not looked at creating “globally talented individuals with a national consciousness,” the ministry said, adding that to correct this, it plans to amend the white paper to include “fostering a sense of national consciousness” as a mandatory indicator in its school-based international education plan.
Robin Lu (盧雲賓), director of education at the nation’s representative office in Austria, said that Taiwan’s approach to international exchanges should change.
In the past, everything from other countries was exalted, but exchanges should be mutually beneficial and there should be a national consciousness behind them, he said, adding that Taiwanese engaging in exchanges abroad should recognize that they are representing their nation.
Taiwan is an independent country that has done many things well, such as promoting traditional Aboriginal arts, he said.
The ministry said it plans to allocate NT$100 million (US$3.19 million) of its budget for the next fiscal year to training and certifying school staff in the internationalization of curricula, adding that it encourages schools to appoint individuals to implement the measures.
It expects to increase funding to NT$250 million within six years, it added.
There would be a large-scale loosening of regulations on international exchanges and cooperation with schools abroad next year, and curricula would contain more international content, said Chiu Yu-chan (邱玉蟾), director of the ministry’s curricula internationalization program.
As schools are encouraged through the plan to promote their unique qualities in international exchanges, rural schools could show how they do things differently from urban schools when they engage with students in other countries, Lu added.
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