Education in Taiwan
[9] Many parents in Taiwan believe that effort and persistence matters more than innate ability if their children want to receive better grades in school.
[12][13] Furthermore, the education system has been criticized for its overemphasis on rote memorization and excessive academic pressure it places on students.
Students in Taiwan are faced with immense pressure to succeed academically from their parents, teachers, peers, and society in order to secure prestigious white collar job positions while eschewing vocational education, critical thinking, and creativity.
[15] In addition, the Taiwanese government has been criticized for undermining the economy as it has been unable to create enough jobs to support the demands of the numerous unemployed university graduates.
[16][17] The Dutch East India Company, the Ming Chinese loyalists under Koxinga, Qing China, and the Japanese all implemented education systems on Taiwan.
In 1944–1945, the Republic of China under the Chinese Nationalist Party led by Chiang Kai-shek took control of the island; the existing private school infrastructure was curtailed over suspicions of its political loyalty.
In January 2011, President Ma announced plans to implement a full twelve-year compulsory education program by 2014.
Corporal punishment is officially banned, but many reports suggest it is still practiced by many teachers, due in no small part to the fact that most parents support it.
Spring semester begins following the Lantern Festival in mid February and ends in late June.
Elementary schools span grades 1 through 6, classes are held from Monday through Friday, typically from 7:30 AM through 4 PM (or noon on Wednesdays).
In the past, high (and vocational) school students were expected to take on civil defense duties in the event of national emergency.
In many high schools incoming students may select science or liberal arts tracks depending on where their interests lie.
For those that participate in recommendations, they have to take a national academic exam and select a list of majors that they are applying to.
Vocational training and related career choices are introduced through course electives in lower secondary school.
Unlike regular senior high schools, they place a heavier emphasis on practical and vocational skills.
Skill-based senior high schools offer programs that are organized into six different categories: agriculture, industry, business, marine products, everyday life sphere, and art.
[28] Even though a high score is desired as an admission criterion to the nations most esteemed and prestigious institutions, as consequences of such reforms, the job market is flooded with unemployed university graduates.
It is also related to future employment opportunities because of the government policy focusing on high-tech manufacturing industries.
To avoid ambiguity, the ROC government generally added the National word in front of those universities in Taiwan to differentiate them with the ones in China.
The National Kaohsiung Normal University (NKNU) was chosen as the general coordinator and was responsible for setting up, managing the Nationwide Teacher In-Service Education Information Web.
This database-technology platform is in an electronic format to record teacher's training progress and learning time.
The purposes of Nationwide Teacher In-service Advancement Education Information Web are as follows: Each college in each university usually has their own graduate schools.
[41] Various subjects that are covered by junior colleges include marine resources, medicine, languages, home economics, and tourism and hospitality.
The curriculum is similar to that of vocational schools with the exception that five-year junior colleges run for two additional years.
[42] Graduates of two-year junior colleges can choose to enter the workforce, start their own business, pursue additional studies at a two-year institute of technology program in a department of their choice or choose to pursue additional education at a four-year university.
These cram schools are an extremely large (and profitable) business in Taiwan and have been criticized by some as being the result of cultural overemphasis on academic achievement.
Curriculum at such preschools often encompasses subject material such as science, art, physical education and even mathematics classes.
In return for annual fees, the chain enterprises may supply advertising, curriculum, books, materials, training, and even staff for each individual school.
There has been a huge growth in the number of privately owned and operated English immersion preschools in Taiwan since 1999.
In October 2016, Education Minister Pan Wen-chung said that the Executive Yuan will allocated a budget of NT$6.2 billion to establish 1,000 kindergartens over the next four years so that it can raise the percentage of children enrollment by 30–40% by 2020.
