Schools need to globalize
To transform Taiwan’s education system globally in the era of internationalization is a very challenging task for President Ma Ying-jeou (“An education in internationalization,” Nov. 09, page 8). It is essential for Taiwanese to appreciate the importance of education internationalization. According to Nick Tsou’s response, (Letters, Dec. 1, page 8), Taiwanese institutions have to change the way they teach students.
Teachers should not just encourage students to pass the College Entrance Exam, but get them to focus on the world and their future. Therefore, to globalize Taiwan’s educational system will be the the first step to transforming Taiwan into a destination for overseas students.
As a former student in the US, I was offered an international program as a major or minor, world languages in international/comparative courses, internationally diverse studies, work, research programs and internship opportunities, etc.
Most importantly, I learned to appreciate the ethnic and cultural diversity of other nations. That is what Taiwanese universities lack — they focus only on the work inside a class and exams, without a global perspective.
I believe Taiwan needs to internationalize. Offering all-English courses and scholarships alone will not make this happen. Ma has to enhance the quality of Taiwan’s universities first, followed by employment opportunities in domestic and overseas corporations after students graduate.
For example, Taiwan’s government has a program that subsidizes the annual salary for qualified firms when they recruit graduate students from certain universities. Therefore, participating universities recruit more students than other universities. By further enhancing this program and opening it to foreigners, Taiwan will be one step closer to the heart of international elites.
There are so many ways to internationalize Taiwan’s education system, thus enticing more students to study in Taiwan. We should also cooperate with other countries that have successful curriculums and corporations to create employment opportunities after graduation. With this in mind, Taiwan will become a study destination.
MIKE LIAO
Taipei
Climate should not be ignored
After reading the thought-provoking articles that were published in the Taipei Times (“Climate change will impact children’s future,” Dec. 8, page 9, and “Thousands march globally calling for climate action,” Dec. 13, page 1), we have come to realize that we hold the keys to the fate of the next generation and it is urgent that everyone should work harder to “fight climate change.”
Many people are familiar with the term “El Nino,” but fail to understand the impact it has had on us in the past decades. In addition, the consequences of El Nino occur everywhere in the world. For example, Typhoon Morakot, which devastated the Philippines and Taiwan last August, is the consequence of El Nino and climate change.
We should understand that all countries face the threat of climate change, and our failure to deal with it will hurt the natural environment much more than we expect.
Moreover, there is no doubt that when one nation suffers from the disastrous effects of climate change, the damage will expand to other nations. That is because we share this world.
In Taiwan, taking pragmatic steps against climate change should require us not only to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions footprint, but also to develop renewable and alternative energy. However, the government’s carbon reduction policy is still unclear and many Taiwanese fail to consider this issue seriously.
Taiwan is an island country. Thus we are much more susceptible to the threat of climate change than other countries — rising sea levels, decreasing quantities of fish and other natural resources. Authorities should invest more in fighting climate change. There is no time to waste because the impact of climate change is extremely dangerous, more than any time before.
As the 192-nation UN conference on climate is being convened in Copenhagen, we in Taiwan should take grass-roots action not only for the future of our children, but also for the preservation of our planet. In the meantime, it is urgent that authorities take immediate steps to educate citizens of the imminent impact of climate change to prevent Taiwan from suffering from another “Morakot” in the foreseeable future.
CLAIRE WU
Yonghe, Taipei County
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