At least half of the graduates from a select group of benchmark universities and colleges would possess bilingual skills by 2030, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Sunday.
The ministry plans to invest NT$1 billion (US$35.14 million) over this year and next year on a three-phase project to promote bilingual skills in higher education.
As part of the project, the ministry said that it would introduce a program in August to develop key universities and colleges.
To apply for the program, universities would need to teach at least 10 percent of graduate courses and 5 percent of undergraduate courses in English, the ministry said, adding that it would soon send invitations to public and private universities.
At least 20 public and private universities meet the requirement, sources said.
Taiwanese universities teach about 4.5 percent of their courses in English; the top universities teach 20 percent in English.
A survey conducted by British Council Taiwan and the ministry over the past two years showed that 17.1 percent of 12th-graders have a B2 level in English, as shown on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages scale — while 4.3 percent have a C level.
This shows that about one-fifth of 12th-graders could take courses taught in English and assist in promoting the “bilingualization” of higher education, the ministry said.
Nearly 7,000 full-time university instructors, or nearly 19 percent, could teach a course entirely in English, ministry data showed.
To quickly improve English proficiency among first-year students, the ministry said that it would invest in key universities, including adding 50 faculty positions at public universities, hiring more teaching assistants and transforming first-year English courses.
In 2024, in the second phase, three benchmark universities and 18 benchmark colleges would be selected from among the key schools, with the goal of having at least one-quarter of second-year undergraduates reach the B2 level or above in English, it said.
The ministry said that it hopes to have at least 20 percent of second-year undergraduates and first-year graduate students at the benchmark schools complete more than 20 percent of their 2024 coursework in English.
In 2030, in the third phase, the benchmark group would be expanded to six universities and 30 colleges, with the goal of having at least half of second-year undergraduates reach the B2 level or above in English, it said.
The ministry said that it hopes to have at least half of second-year undergraduates and half of all graduate students at the benchmark schools complete more than half of their 2030 coursework in English.
By 2030, at least half of the students graduating from benchmark schools would possess bilingual skills and it would be noted on their graduation certificate, the ministry added.
The survey showed that although one-fifth of 12th-graders have a B2 level in English, they did not show balanced performance in listening, speaking, reading and writing.
The 12th-graders’ reading and listening skills tested at the level needed to build a bilingual nation, but they performed far worse in speaking and writing, the survey results showed.
In English listening, 27.68 percent of 12th-graders had at least a B2 level, while 27.32 percent had at least a B2 level in reading, 19.81 percent in writing and 8.27 percent in speaking, survey data showed.
“Although students with a good level of English have little trouble reading textbooks or listening to a class lecture, many of them have difficulty writing a report or participating in a class discussion,” the ministry said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS