English education in Taiwan is cause for distress.

It is generally recognized in Taiwan that English proficiency is necessary for academic excellence and success on the job market. Yet for many years Taiwanese students taking the TOEFL have done rather poorly, achieving scores lower than in most other Asian countries.
If one accepts that the TOEFL is a reliable measure of a person's English ability, then there are serious problems with the way that English is taught in Taiwan.

Let us not forget that English receives much more emphasis at the elementary, secondary and college levels in Taiwan than any other subject. Each year, huge amounts of resources are spent on the improvement of students' English skills－apparently with little payoff.

It is true that, despite the people's mediocre English ability, Taiwan is economically advanced. But we believe the island would fare even better if the people's ability to communicate with the rest of the world improved.

For instance, a study sponsored by the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission under the Executive Yuan found that most foreign visitors to Taiwan feel that locals' ability to communicate in English is inadequate. Taiwan's tourist industry would do far better if our people were more proficient in their ability to communicate with foreign visitors.

In our view, improving teacher qualifications and applying more sophisticated teaching techniques are possible ways to address this urgent issue.



REF:English education in Taiwan is cause for distress.

ref: http://www.english.com.tw/modules/StudentPost/