Ever since the government proposed that Taiwan be transformed into a bilingual nation by 2030, people have been debating the policy’s pros and cons. Experts and academics have offered various theoretical arguments, but one standard answer has not surfaced. In my view, as a teacher, achieving the policy requires a review of the issues from a practical perspective, from the viewpoint of Taiwan’s educational structure and characteristics.
The education system is dominated by test-oriented learning. Most regular teachers view bilingual instruction as extra work, while teachers of subjects tested in the joint entrance exams even view it as a threat.
The paradox of bilingual education lies in the incompatibility between the new policy and the classroom situation. Schools have long emphasized academic performance for the sake of being accepted to the next tier of education. To guard the academic reputation of schools and have graduates accepted to their preferred universities, students are trained to strive for high test scores. Test-taking skills are the focus of this educational environment.
For example, with this test-oriented instruction, most students learn English just to pass English listening, reading and writing tests. As spoken English is not included in the joint entrance exams, students generally do not practice speaking it.
As a result, in real-life situations — such as watching English-language movies, listening to English-language radio stations or interacting with foreigners, students find it difficult to translate what they have learned in class into actual conversation.
Students might be good test takers, but that does not mean that they know how to apply the language. This is especially true in Taiwan’s education system.
This situation makes implementing the bilingual policy difficult, because it is not taken into consideration by the Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students, or by the General Scholastic Ability Test and Advanced Subjects Test for senior-high school students. For example, all of the questions in these exams are in Chinese.
Teachers, who are the executors of the will of the state, have long been conditioned by these exams. The authorities’ will might satisfy parents’ fantasies about bilingual education, but they are overlooking teachers’ hard work in the classroom as they add additional education measures.
What about the children? Due to the country’s long-standing “credentialist” approach, they continue to take the same tests in new forms, generation after generation.
The government’s bilingual policy and Taiwan’s test-oriented education system clash with each other. Unless half of the questions are given in English on exams, it will be difficult to promote bilingual education in tested subjects.
On the other hand, many schools have started the bilingual teaching of non-tested subjects. For example, elementary and junior-high schools in Taipei are recruiting a large number of bilingual teachers this year for non-academic subjects not tested in the exams.
This highlights how inconsistent the education system is, and the lack of equivalence between subjects. One could hope that the bilingual policy will be more pragmatic, and that top decisionmakers will be more idealistic and down-to-earth.
To create a solution that benefits everyone, the authorities should visit schools and listen to what teachers have to say. Bilingual education needs a balance between the goal and the actual, detailed implementation.
Tao Yi-che is a teacher at Affiliated High School of National Chengchi University.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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