Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday unveiled his campaign platform on education, promising that if he were re-elected, he would enhance English education and promote the use of flat-screen computers to ease the burden on students having to carry heavy schoolbags around campus.
Amid cheers from a group of parents, Hau said he would establish more English-only villages in each of the city’s 12 districts to enhance bilingual education.
The Taipei City Government has already set up two English villages in Taipei Binjiang Elementary School and Taipei Penglai Elementary School, turning some classrooms into an airport or a night market and creating conversation scenarios for students to practice the language.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
Kang Tzong-hu (康宗虎), commissioner of the city’s Education Department, said the department planned to build English villages at more elementary schools next year, offering an English-only environment for a greater number of students.
Starting next year, Kang said, the number of English classes would also be increased from two to three per week, he said.
Hau also promised to expand the “e-schoolbag” program by purchasing more iPads, PDAs or other flat-screen computers to use as learning tools that would replace heavy textbooks.
The program is part of the Ministry of Education’s policy.
Starting in August last year, five elementary schools — two in Taipei City and one each in Taipei County, Kaohsiung and Hualien — adopted the policy on a trial basis, offering a select group of students portable computers to serve as e-schoolbags.
Hau’s proposal drew criticism from Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who accused Hau of using the program — an expensive one, he said — as a vote-buying measure.
“The e-schoolbag program will be very expensive if it is expanded to all students at all schools. It is clearly a vote-buying measure to present such a program right before the poll,” he said.
In response, Hau accused Su of cutting the education budget in Taipei County when he served as county commissioner.
“My education platform addresses issues of concern to parents and teachers,” Hau said. “And the policies are feasible. I don’t just give empty slogans and offer unsupported policies.”
Kang said the department would budget NT$100 million (US$3 million) next year to implement the program at 50 classes chosen from 50 schools.
Each student from the selected classes would receive an iPad or other e-learning platforms.
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