At the end of 2018, the Executive Yuan proposed the Blueprint for Developing Taiwan into a Bilingual Nation by 2030. The proposal was directed at elementary and high-schools, as the Ministry of Education pushes for an “English-only” policy or for “all-English courses” in certain other academic subjects.
The Taipei City Government introduced English education for first graders in 2002, and the New Taipei City Government launched trial bilingual courses in 2013. With the support of the blueprint, each city and county has hastened its efforts to push for bilingual education, which has become characteristic for many schools.
At the junior-high school where I teach, the bilingual policy has triggered confrontations among faculty, as the principal is hoping to turn our school into a bilingual one.
He is doing so either for the good of students, or trying to meet the demands of the local education bureau and get a promotion.
To reduce teachers’ opposition, he first persuaded one teacher by falsely claiming that another teacher had agreed to teach courses in English only, and vice versa. Both teachers agreed under pressure, and later were furious after finding out about he had done.
They sought help from the school teachers’ association, which then expressed its opinions to the principal that, despite his good intention, the push for the bilingual policy should not be done in haste.
The association reminded the school to understand the teachers’ side, to provide English courses to teachers and implement the policy gradually.
In response to the association’s call, the principal mobilized teachers who supported him to criticize the association for being irrational and incompetent, while claiming that the school should transform itself into a bilingual school in a timely manner.
After all, in the face of a seriously declining birthrate, schools have been vying with each other to attract students.
The principal and his supporters seem to believe that bilingual education will be a selling point for student recruitment, and that if we do not support the policy, the school might be unable to recruit enough students
By maligning the opposition camp, the principal’s camp has obscured the matter of discussion.
The government has established English-medium Instruction Research Centers at some universities to enhance teachers’ abilities to teach in English. This is likely to give Taiwanese teachers the opportunity to further educate themselves while on the job and to learn from English native speakers at the centers.
For teachers as well as for students, this is a win-win situation.
In a globalized world, being bilingual can undeniably give you a competitive edge.
As an educator, I hope that the bilingual policy implemented for the benefit of the public will not become a tool for school principals’ ambitions, or be sacrificed in power struggles between factions of teachers.
Chao Nan-hsing is a junior-high school teacher.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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