The Taipei Department of Education in June conducted a joint teacher selection for elementary and junior-high schools in the hope of recruiting 91 bilingual teachers capable of teaching in Chinese and English. However, as there were fewer applicants than the number of openings, the city was able to hire only 23.
The city, which has pledged to continue to make more schools bilingual with multiple subjects taught in English, will need to rely on substitute teachers to make up for the shortage of regular teachers.
Taipei last year set up the first bilingual teacher training mechanism, targeting the tens of thousands of substitute teachers nationwide who hope to become regular teachers, and this year it relaxed qualification requirements for regular teachers.
Anyone capable of providing English-only instruction and wanting to be a regular teacher can register for the joint teacher selection based on a few prerequisites.
First, they need to submit a written statement promising to obtain a teacher’s certificate qualifying them to teach at an elementary or junior-high school and a certificate of English proficiency within one year.
Anyone capable of doing that would have the opportunity to enter the next stage, which is teaching demonstration. After being selected and passing the teacher evaluation within a year, they would become regular teachers starting with the 2021 academic year.
The Taipei City Government seems to have relaxed restrictions, but it has failed to think outside the box, and the requirement that applicants obtain a teacher’s certificate within a year is unreasonable.
If it wants to relax restrictions, it should consider that new teachers are under the double pressure of handling the burden of teaching while getting a teacher’s certificate.
The most realistic and effective relaxation of requirements would be to prioritize the applicants’ English ability during the joint teacher selection. New teachers should be allowed to receive on-the-job training by taking the teacher education program through evening classes or during summer vacation.
Instead of a one-year period, it would be more reasonable to complete the teacher education program and obtain a teacher’s certificate within two years.
The Executive Yuan has since 2018 demanded that the Ministry of Education push for bilingual education, but during this period, elementary and junior-high schools have had problems hiring qualified teachers.
Recruitment has been hampered by the time it takes to cultivate local bilingual teachers, the uneven quality of foreign English-language teachers, the issues that often arise from poor interaction between foreign teachers and Taiwanese students, and the low retention rate of foreign teachers.
There is no lack of young people who speak fluent English, but they are restricted by regulations from serving as bilingual teachers. Many of them have studied in English-speaking countries and received degrees in English-language studies. Many have been teaching English since returning to Taiwan, so their understanding of the foreign culture can perhaps match that of foreign teachers who are native speakers of English.
Unfortunately, they are not allowed to become regular elementary and junior-high-school teachers because they have not taken the teacher education program. At a time when Taiwan is working hard to transform itself into a bilingual country, it is a pity that many bright young people are prohibited from putting their talent to use.
To resolve the bilingual teacher shortage, schools should learn from government agencies and hire those who can offer English-only instruction as contract employees. For example, those who have a lecturer’s certificate and have taught English at a university could use that as proof of their English-language ability.
After passing the initial interview, the all-English teaching demonstration and the final review, they should be hired. They could become regular teachers after obtaining a teacher’s certificate for elementary and junior-high schools.
This would address the urgent need for bilingual teachers and allow young people with professional English-language ability to put their talents to use. Perhaps that would make it easier for Taiwan to realize its vision of a bilingual nation.
The authorities should change the timetable for when applicants complete the teacher education program, obtain a teacher’s certificate and apply to the joint teacher selection for elementary and junior-high schools.
It would be much more practical to allow applicants to pass the selection first and then to complete the teacher education program and obtain a teacher’s certificate.
Chang Huey-por is a former president of National Changhua University of Education.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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