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.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to