A campus with a rainwater catchment system and a school with blank textbooks impressed ambassadors and representatives from 11 countries as they went on a tour of sustainable schools and eco-campuses earlier this week.
"The rainwater catchment system is an excellent and practical idea. Take the hand pump I see here for example: in my country, we practically always use hand pumps to pump water," said Malawian ambassador Thengo Maloya during the visit to Taipei County Shengkeng Elementary School, whose rainwater catchment system recycles two tonnes of wastewater per day.
PHOTO: MO YAN-CHIH, TAIPEI TIMES
According to Maloya, people with no water in their villages need to travel around to get water in other places. So conserving and reusing water can be really important, the ambassador said.
Organized by the Ministry of Education, the tour was designed to demonstrate the achievements of schools participating in an "education for sustainable development" program.
Aiming to share the success of the program with the diplomats, the ministry invited them to join the trip for the first time since the launch of the tour last year.
The tour took the guests to Taipei County Shengkeng Elementary School and Ci-Xing Waldorf Education School of Ilan County. Both schools participated in the program, which was orchestrated by the Ministry of Education three years ago to create a more eco-friendly learning environment and develop creative curriculums in schools.
Participating ambassadors said they are impressed by how participating schools help students find satisfaction both within themselves and in their relationship with the environment.
"The two schools we visited showed two different educational approaches based on the same idea, which is to cultivate students' global views. I think both approaches help students appreciate the outside world and the self within," said the representative of the Turkish Trade Office, Unut Arik.
Shengkeng Elementary School, one of the 256 schools participating in the program conducted by the Ministry of Education since 1999, has carried out sustainable campus reform plans.
According to school principal Lin Jian-zong (
"We continually develop curriculums that motivate students to explore the environment. Activities like tree planting and inviting local farmers to give lessons successfully brings teachers, students and community members together to not only experience nature, but more importantly, to learn from nature," Lin said.
Tomasz Nowacki, the chief representative/director-general of the Warsaw Trade Office said that it is crucial to motivate students to protect nature voluntarily.
"The development of ecological schools in Poland began in the 1980s. I think environmental education should focus on how to bring out children's willingness to cherish nature," Nowacki said.
In addition to sustaining schools' ecology and energy-saving facilities, another key element of "education for sustainable development" program is reorganizing the traditional curriculum.
Ci-Xing Waldorf Education School, whose educational philosophy is based on the concepts of Rudolf Steiner, a German educator, is the second school the tour visited. It showed the creativity on the design of their curriculum, which is teaching without any textbooks.
According to Ci-Xing's principal Chang Chun-shu (
Jose Miguel Holguin, Prime Secretary of the Dominican Republic's embassy, lauded the philosophy of the school's program.
"The school's education is systematic. By teaching children how to think, instead of what to think, I think students are free to develop their own individualities. I really appreciate their educational philosophy," Holguin said.
Ambassador Francisco Ricardo Santana Berrios of the Republic of El Salvador, also admired the school's effort to provide students with an open learning environment.
"The interaction between teachers and students is impressive. I think through creative classes, such as singing and personal story-sharing, children are given more space to think creatively and freely, Berrios said.
Sandor Matyus, the representative of the Hungarian Trade Office, although appreciating the innovative teaching method, said that the school should pay attention to students' adjustment when they go on to receive higher education.
"I am anxious about the gap between this free-style learning environment and higher education institutions. For example, without a textbook, I fear students may face some reading difficulties when they go to high schools or colleges. This is something the school needs to be careful about," Matyus said.
According to the program designer of the campus reform plans, Su Huey-jen (
Besides, 60.5 percent of city schools began to plant organic products on campus.
Many schools also develop new curriculum to bring out the creativity of students.
She said that since the program has showed some achievements, the next step is to seek collaboration from international community.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS