The Australian Office Taipei has pledged to help Taiwan reach its Bilingual 2030 goals by deepening its educational partnership with the National Development Council and the Ministry of Education, the three organizations said in a statement.
The Joint Statement on the Australia-Taiwan English Language Learning Dialogue, issued following Wednesday’s inaugural meeting, said that the talks would help promote English learning and “connect Australia’s world-leading English language service providers with Taiwanese institutions delivering Taiwan’s Bilingual 2030 policy.”
The bonds between Australian language providers and Taiwanese institutions would be strengthened through the partnership, and “promote Taiwan’s bilingual policy and enhance English language learning,” the statement said.
Photo courtesy of the Australian Office Taipei.
The Australian office is to help train bilingual teachers and provide English-language courses, it said.
The office is to work with its Taiwanese partners to facilitate “sister school relationships, joint degree programs, vocational training, and the promotion” of exchanges between students, teachers and academic professionals, it said.
The Australian and Taiwanese delegates discussed ways to promote collaboration and explored issues such as studying abroad, skills development, vocational training and learning Mandarin, it said.
The Australian Office Taipei said that the number of Taiwanese studying in Australia has risen in the past five years, averaging about 18,000 each year before the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that 250,000 Taiwanese young people have visited Australia on working holiday visas.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 Australians have visited Taiwan under the Australian government’s New Colombo Plan, “gaining skills and building life-long friendships and understanding,” it said.
Australia “is a natural partner” in Taiwan’s Bilingual 2030 goals, the joint statement said.
Australia’s language education providers “have a long record of high-quality English language education for people from a wide variety of backgrounds,” it said, adding that Taiwan and Australia would continue to deepen their cooperation.
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